NCJ Number
100970
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 59 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-March 1986) Pages: 20-24
Date Published
1986
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Although information obtained through hypnosis is not directly admissible in British courts, it can be valuable in directing police toward evidence that is admissible.
Abstract
Hypnosis is not a consistently reliable producer of accurate information, but there are many instances when a witness has recalled a fact under hypnosis that has helped police to uncover evidence; for example, under hypnosis a witness recalled the license number of a car seen speeding away from a burglary. This led to the apprehension of the offenders. Hypnosis has also produced suspect descriptions that have enhanced investigations. Accurate hypnotic recall is most likely when the hypnosis is conducted by a professional therapist with only minimal knowledge of the crime facts. The session should be conducted off police premises. Should recall produce intense suffering in the victim-witness, the subject may be guided into producing facts through automatic writing, a method which prevents the subject from bringing the method which prevents the subject from bringing the experience itself into conscious awareness. Another use of hypnosis associated with police work is to relax officers who have been under particularly severe emotional stress.