ABSTRACT

Victims, witnesses, and suspects of crime are frequently intoxicated by Alcohol or Other Drugs (AOD) during the event. How intoxication is perceived by investigating officers, and the manner in which this is handled during interview procedures, can affect the quality of information obtained and therefore investigative outcomes. Various factors are likely to contribute to how intoxication is handled during the investigation of a crime, including standard procedures, familiarity with the effects of different substances, and cultural attitudes. While findings with respect to the effect of different substances on memory are still emerging, it is important to investigate whether police beliefs are consistent with available evidence. In this study, Australian and Indonesian police officers were surveyed about their perceptions of memory accuracy and credibility of victims and witnesses intoxicated with various substances (e.g. alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and opioids). A higher proportion of Australian police identified larger negative memory effects associated with alcohol intoxication. At the same time, Indonesian police were found to be more likely to report that intoxication with alcohol would make a victim or witness less credible. With regard to timing, across multiple substances, larger proportions of Australian police reported believing that information obtained from witnesses that were still intoxicated would be more accurate than if interviewed after they became sober. It is concluded that, in order to rectify misconceptions about the impact of AOD intoxication on memory and improve investigative practices, both Australian and Indonesian police would benefit from additional training on the effects of intoxication.

摘要

在活动期间，受害者、证人和犯罪嫌疑人经常被酒精或其他药物 (AOD) 陶醉。调查人员如何看待醉酒，以及在面谈过程中处理醉酒的方式，会影响所获得信息的质量，从而影响调查结果。各种因素可能会影响在犯罪调查期间如何处理醉酒，包括标准程序、对不同物质影响的熟悉程度以及文化态度。虽然关于不同物质对记忆的影响的发现仍在不断涌现，但重要的是调查警察的信念是否与现有证据一致。在这项研究中，澳大利亚和印度尼西亚警察接受了调查，了解他们对各种物质（例如酒精、大麻、安非他明和阿片类药物）中毒的受害者和证人的记忆准确性和可信度的看法。更高比例的澳大利亚警察发现与酒精中毒相关的更大的负面记忆效应。与此同时，印尼警方被发现更有可能报告酒精中毒会使受害者或证人的可信度降低。关于时间问题，在多种物质中，较大比例的澳大利亚警方报告认为，从仍然醉酒的证人那里获得的信息比在他们清醒后接受采访时更准确。得出的结论是，