Technology Serving Justice

Abstract

AbstractIn face-to-face interactions, people are constantly providing information through their body movements (Kendon in Body language communication: An international handbook on multimodality in human interaction, pp. 7–27, 2013). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.), in which gestures are included. These kinetic movements transmit two-thirds of what we communicate (Aghayeva in Khazar J Human Soc Sc 53–62, 2011), and ignoring them means disregarding the complexity of the human communication system (Jones and LeBaron in J Commun 52:499–521, 2002). When communicating, humans create signs, and “these signs are made with very many different means (…). They are the expression of the interest of socially formed individuals who, with these signs, realize (…) their meanings” (Kress in Multimodality: A social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Routledge, p. 10 [2010]). And the way people understand what others mean to transmit can deeply vary. These different interpretations may originate from each person’s experience, prejudice, values, and expectations in life. Therefore, the probability of misunderstanding is vast. In the specific context of a forensic interaction, problems of communication misunderstandings can have serious consequences in a suspect’s or in a defendant’s life. Globally, body movements are not thoroughly considered when it comes to understanding what a suspect or a defendant really wants to declare. However, on some occasions, the correct interpretation of a kinetic movement could contribute to a fairer judicial decision. Through a consistent micro-analysis of interactions, it is possible to create meaning from body movements. The micro-analysis developed by the author showed that body movements can transmit information that had not been verbally uttered. That information has shown to be of great importance in the context of judicial process analysis.