“It doesn't work at all, that's my experience”: Swedish forensic interviewers' views on interpreter-mediated child interviews

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dc.contributor.authorErnberg, E., Magnusson, M., Koponen, L., & Landström, S.
dc.date.accessioned2022-06-16T17:59:27Z
dc.date.available2022-06-16T17:59:27Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractBackground Legal practitioners have expressed concerns regarding the quality of interpreter-mediated forensic interviews with child witnesses. Objective This mixed-methods study aimed to examine Swedish forensic interviewers' experiences of conducting child interviews via a language interpreter. Participants and setting Forty-one forensic interviewers from the Swedish Police Authority with experience conducting interpreter-mediated child interviews participated in a digital survey. Methods Their responses were analyzed using both qualitative (thematic and content analyses) and quantitative (descriptive and inferential statistics) approaches. Results The forensic interviewers' general experiences of conducting interpreter-mediated child interviews were negative. Limited access to authorized legal interpreters and doubts regarding the accuracy of interpretation were described as major obstacles in these investigations. The presence of an interpreter could negatively impact children's disclosure process and limit their chances of expressing their views during legal proceedings. Conclusions According to Swedish forensic interviewers, the quality of interpreter-mediated child interviews urgently needs to be addressed. Our results are consistent with previous surveys from Australia and the United States, highlighting the international relevance of these topics. Future improvements are vital to ensure that all children are provided an equal right to be heard during criminal investigations, regardless of the native language.en_US
dc.identifier.citationErnberg, E., Magnusson, M., Koponen, L., & Landström, S. (2022). “It doesn't work at all, that's my experience”: Swedish forensic interviewers' views on interpreter-mediated child interviews. Child Abuse & Neglect, 127, 105540.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014521342200059X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/5442
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherChild Abuse & Neglecten_US
dc.subjectforensic interviewen_US
dc.subjectinterpretersen_US
dc.subjectresearchen_US
dc.subjectChild testimonyen_US
dc.subjectsurveyen_US
dc.subjectpoliceen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.subjectSwedenen_US
dc.title“It doesn't work at all, that's my experience”: Swedish forensic interviewers' views on interpreter-mediated child interviewsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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