Questioning of child witnesses or victims under the age of 14: specificity, age peculiarities and techniques

The problem of participation of a psychologist in questioning of child witnesses and victims is considered as well as the specificity of techniques used in questioning is emphasized in the article. The analysis of data obtained by an investigator during the preparation for questioning and characteristics obtained through the use of psychological methods (regardless of the status of the participant) that must be taken into account while conducting questioning is presented. The author’s view on the necessity of a psychologist participation in questioning rests on the fact that in case of emotional instability due to negative experience of a child victim or witness, a psychologist enables the stabilization of the situation and transferring information from the person being questioned to the representative of investigative bodies. The author highlights some unsolved problems of legal character such as determining the purpose and objectives of a psychologist or teacher participation in questioning, lack of fixed requirements to their qualification; the development and providing a legislative framework for the mechanism of influence of a psychologist or a teacher on questioning process, and obtaining reliable information from child witnesses or victims etc., and proposes some ways of addressing these problems.