The specifics of police interrogation (examination) of children in the Slovak Republic

Abstract

In the paper, the authors analyse the situation in the Slovak Republic concerning child interrogation or examination independence on the fact, whether a child is a criminal offender or a victim. They focus on legal regulation of this issue in the legal system of the Slovak Republic, and on specifics of this procedure from the tactical and psychological point of view. The interrogation (or the examination) of the child is a very specific criminalistics method that is used in criminal proceedings. The particularities of this procedure are determined by the age, mental and emotional degree of child’s development, social status, suggestibility (ability to influence). These circumstances should be respected under every conduction of the interrogation (examination) of the child by the prosecutor, the investigator of the Police Force, or the authorized officer of the Police Force. The main aspects of this procedure are: − To use psychologists or other experts before and during conduction of the procedure; − Not to repeat the procedure in further criminal proceedings; − To use special devices for recording or transmission of the sounds and voices; − The instruction before interrogation (examination) should be adapted to the child (understandable, respectful, etc.); The procedure should be conducted in a good atmosphere and good conditions (psychological approaches; special interrogation rooms), etc.