Guidelines for Interviews of Victims

Introduce yourself by full name and title
Explain your role and purpose
Determine whether the victim has any physical injuries
Provide privacy for the victim during the interview
Explain what you will do – such as ask questions and the reason for the questions
Validate the victim’s feelings indicating they are normal under the circumstances
Give the victim choices, which allows them to make decisions
Don’t make statements the victim would perceive as blaming them
Don’t treat the incident lightly as the victim certainly does not