Kerry Watkins

PhD Candidate
Kerry Watkins photo
Dissertation Title
Questioning Canada's Confessions Rule: A Comparative Analysis of Interrogation Law, Practices, and Protections
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Curriculum Vitae

I am a former police officer, criminal investigator, and investigative instructor with undergraduate and graduate degrees in criminology and law. And I am the co-author of a textbook on investigative interviewing. My decades of practical investigative experience and my professional curiosity about police questioning fuel my current doctoral research in which I examine the relationship between Canadian confessions law and social science research on the dynamics of police interrogation and confessions.

Research

I take a multidisciplinary approach to my research. My methodology includes considering law and science as two different cultures that produce and utilize knowledge in different ways for different purposes; traditional doctrinal analysis of the development of Anglo-Canadian statement law; and comparative analysis of statement law in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Education

LL.M. (Criminal Law & Procedure) - Osgoode Hall Law School, York University

M.A. (Criminology) - Centre of Criminology, University of Toronto

B.A. (Hons.) (Criminology & Psychology) - Victoria College, University of Toronto

Teaching Experience

Professor. Humber College. Faculty of Community & Social Services. 2018 to present.

Professor (Part-time). Humber College. Faculty of Community & Social Services. 2016 to 2018.

Instructor. Investigative Training Section. Toronto Police College. 2011 to 2018.

Professional Experience

Police Officer/Criminal Investigator (Homicide, Financial Crime, Professional Standards). Toronto Police Service. 1987 to 2018.

Awards
  • Harry W. Arthurs Fellowship
  • York Graduate Scholarship
  • YU Graduate Fellowship Doctoral
Publications
  • Watkins, K., Eastwood, J., MacDonald, S., (2022) Interviewing and Investigation. Fourth Edition. Emond Montgomery Publications: Toronto.
  • Eastwood, J., Watkins, K., (2021) Psychological Persuasion in Suspect Interviews. Investigative Interviewing Research & Practice, v 2, iss. 1, pp. 54-63.
  • Watkins, K., (2020) “Limited Time Offers” When Questioning Suspects. Blue Line Magazine. October.
  • Watkins, K., (2020) Room for Rapport: Context Manipulation in Suspect Interviews. Blue Line Magazine. June.
  • Watkins, K., (2020) Tainted Statements and the Wittwer Warning. Blue Line Magazine. April.
  • Watkins, K., (2020) Maximizing Information with the Modified Cognitive Interview. Blue Line Magazine. February.
  • Watkins, K., Anderson, G., Bulmer, W., Rondinelli, E., (2019) Evidence and Investigation: From the Crime Scene to the Courtroom. Second Edition. Emond Montgomery Publications: Toronto.
  • Watkins, K., (2019) The Essential but Little Known Prosper Warning. Blue Line Magazine. December.
  • Watkins, K., (2019) Dealing Effectively with Suspect Ultimatums during Police Questioning. Blue Line Magazine. October.
  • Watkins, K., Turtle, J., Euale, J., (2017) Interviewing and Investigation. Third Edition. Emond Montgomery Publications: Toronto.
  • Watkins, K., (2016) Disclosing Evidence. Blue Line Magazine. October, pp. 20-22.
  • Watkins, K., (2015) Interview Training for New Police Officers. HQ Magazine - Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. Summer, pp.10-12.
  • Watkins, K., (2016) The Vulnerability of Aboriginal Suspects When Questioned by Police: Mitigating Risk and Maximizing the Reliability of Statement Evidence. Criminal Law Quarterly. October, 63, pp. 474-503.
  • Watkins, K., Anderson, G., Rondinelli, E., (2013) Evidence and Investigation: From the Crime Scene to the Courtroom. Emond Montgomery Publications: Toronto.
  • Watkins, K., Turtle, J., Euale, J., (2011) Interviewing and Investigation. Second Edition. Emond Montgomery Publications: Toronto.
  • Watkins, K., Turtle, J., (2003) Investigative Interviewing and the Detection of Deception: Who is Deceiving Whom, Canadian Journal of Police and Security Services, 1, pp. 115-123.
Presentation
  • From Interrogation to Investigative Interviewing. Best Practices for Forensic Investigators. Association of Certified Forensic Investigators. Annual Conference. Ottawa. (October, 2021)
  • From Interrogation to Investigative Interviewing. Inquiring Minds Series. Mensa Toronto. (August, 2021)
  • Contemporary Issues in Investigative Interviewing. Due Process Podcast Series. Vancouver. (June, 2021)
  • Investigative Interviewing: Science and Practice. Municipal Internal Auditors Association. Toronto. (April, 2021)
  • Courtroom Testimony: A Practical Skills Workshop for Police and Other Law Enforcement Professionals. Osgoode Hal Law School. Osgoode Professional Development. (February, 2020)
  • Best Practices in Telephone Interviewing. Intake and Resolutions Section. Law Society of Ontario. (December, 2019)
  • Police Questioning Practices and the Right to Silence. Legal Aid Ontario. Professional Education Symposium. Toronto. (November, 2019)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing for Police Complaints Investigators. Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP. (October, 2019)
  • From Interrogation to Investigative Interviewing: The Future of Police Questioning Practices. Keynote Address. Ontario Homicide Investigators Association. Annual Conference. (October, 2019)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing for Regulatory Investigators. Law Society of Ontario. Investigations Section. Toronto. (September 2019)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing for Audit Professionals. City of Ottawa. Ottawa. (June, 2019)
  • Courtroom Testimony: A Practical Skills Workshop for Police & Law Enforcement Professionals. Program Chair & Faculty Member. Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Continuing Professional Development Program. Toronto. (March, 2019)
  • Wrongful Convictions: Managing the Risk of Error in Criminal Investigations. University of Toronto Law School. (October, 2018)
  • Statement Law and Regulatory Investigations: Crossing the Rubicon. Provincial Prosecutors Association. Annual Conference. Orillia. (October, 2018)
  • Best Practices in Interviewing for Sexual Assault Investigations. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Toronto. (June, 2018)
  • Interviewing for Regulatory Investigators. Law Society of Ontario. Toronto. (June, 2018)
  • Interviewing for Nuclear Safety Inspectors. Nuclear Safety Commission of Canada, Annual Conference. Ottawa. (June, 2018)
  • Courtroom Testimony: A Practical Skills Workshop for Police & other Law Enforcement Professionals. Program Chair & Faculty Member. Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Continuing Professional Development Program. Toronto. (March, 2018)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing. Conducting Fair Investigations Conference. The Canadian Institute. Ottawa. (January, 2018)
  • Investigative Interviewing Fundamentals. Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. New Investigator Skills Training. Toronto. (November, 2017)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (October, 2017)
  • The Strategic Use of Evidence in Investigative Interviewing. Canadian Association of Special Investigative Units. Annual Conference. Toronto. (September, 2017)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing for Regulatory Investigators. Law Society of Upper Canada. Investigations Section. Toronto. (May/June, 2017)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing for Investigators. Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee. Investigations Unit. Toronto. (May, 2017)
  • Best Practices in Investigative Interviewing: The Progressive Interview Model. International Fraud Investigators Conference. Toronto. (April, 2017)
  • Latest Developments in Evidence and Criminal Investigations: Forensic Psychology and Law. Program Co-Chair with Professors Tim Moore & Ben Berger. Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Continuing Professional Development Program. Toronto. (March, 2017)
  • How Police Can Improve Suspect Questioning Outcomes through the Study and Application of Negotiation Theory and Practice. Dispute Analysis and Resolution Program. Osgoode Hall Law School. York University. Toronto. (January, 2017)