The Art Of Cross-Examination: Legal Interrogation Techniques

The Art of Cross-Examination - Legal Interrogation Techniques - By Francis L. Wellman of The New York Bar. Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, and intelligence agencies with the goal of eliciting useful information. Interrogation may involve a diverse array of techniques, ranging from developing a rapport with the subject, to outright torture. It needs but the simple statement of the nature of cross-examination to demonstrate its indispensable character in all trials of questions of fact. No cause reaches the stage of litigation unless there are two sides to it. If the witnesses on one side deny or qualify the statements made by those on the other, which side is telling the truth? Not necessarily which side is offering perjured testimony, -there is far less intentional perjury in the courts than the inexperienced would believe, -but which side is honestly mistaken?-for, on the other hand, evidence itself is far less trustworthy than the public usually realizes. The opinions of which side are warped by prejudice or blinded by ignorance? Which side has had the power or opportunity of correct observation? How shall we tell, how make it apparent to a jury of disinterested men who are to decide between the litigants? Obviously, by the means of cross-examination. If all witnesses had the honesty and intelligence to come forward and scrupulously follow the letter as well as the spirit of the oath, "to tell the truth, the whole[24] truth, and nothing but the truth," and if all advocates on either side had the necessary experience, combined with honesty and intelligence, and were similarly sworn to develop the whole truth and nothing but the truth, of course there would be no occasion for cross-examination, and the occupation of the cross-examiner would be gone. But as yet no substitute has ever been found for cross-examination as a means of separating truth from falsehood, and of reducing exaggerated statements to their true dimensions. INTRODUCTORY THE MANNER OF CROSS-EXAMINATION THE MATTER OF CROSS-EXAMINATION CROSS-EXAMINATION OF THE PERJURED WITNESS CROSS-EXAMINATION OF EXPERTS THE SEQUENCE OF CROSS-EXAMINATION SILENT CROSS-EXAMINATION CROSS-EXAMINATION TO CREDIT, AND ITS ABUSES GOLDEN RULES FOR EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES SOME FAMOUS CROSS-EXAMINERS AND THEIR METHODS THE CROSS-EXAMINATION OF RICHARD PIGOTT BEFORE THE PARNELL COMMISSION THE CROSS-EXAMINATION OF DR. -- IN THE CARLYLE W. HARRIS CASE THE CROSS-EXAMINATION OF THOMAS J. MINNOCK IN THE BELLEVUE HOSPITAL CASE THE CROSS-EXAMINATION OF JEREMIAH SMITH IN THE WILLIAM PALMER CASE THE CROSS-EXAMINATION OF RUSSELL SAGE IN THE LAIDLAW-SAGE CASE

Author: Francis L. Wellman

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Publication Date: Apr 27, 2016

Number of Pages: 164 pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 1532947240

ISBN-13: 9781532947247