Clinical forensic medical assessment insights from fitness for police interview consultations.

BACKGROUND

A medical assessment to determine fitness for interview (FFI) is undertaken prior to police interview to guide officers on a suspect's interview readiness. Being fit for police interview strengthens the admissibility of evidence, supports legal compliance and integrity, and ensures that a suspect can self-advocate in a fair and honest interview process. This retrospective clinical audit describes and evaluates the biopsychosocial factors involved in FFI assessments.

METHOD: This is a retrospective clinical audit of all 215 cases who underwent fitness for interview assessments over a 10 year period.

RESULTS

ACT Police referred 215 suspects for fitness for interview assessments (FFI); 6 were unable to be assessed. Physical and mental state examinations were undertaken on the remaining 209 suspects, the majority being males under the age of 40. Multiple factors were significantly associated with not being fit for interview: alcohol intoxication (41.6%), substance use (45.9%), and having less than 6 h sleep (40.2%). Mental health assessment (18.9%), administration of medications (13.9%) and transfer to a hospital (3.3%) were required in some cases. Of 122 suspects found to be initially unfit, 80.3% required a post-intervention FFI reassessment. Strong attention, concentration and clear speech were the most important medical predictors of a suspect's fitness for interview.

CONCLUSIONS

Point-in-time FFI medical assessments consider various biopsychosocial factors critical to ensuring a fair police interview. For suspects deemed unfit, appropriate care pathways are required to enable medical intervention and reassessment.