ORBIT: The Science of Rapport-Based Interviewing for Law Enforcement, Security, and Military

ORBIT (Observing Rapport Based Interpersonal Techniques) is an approach to interviewing high-value detainees, encompassing not only analysis and research into the methodology, but also a framework for training. ORBIT: The Science of Rapport-Based Interviewing for Law Enforcement, Security, and Military offers comprehensive treatment of ORBIT's unique perspective on human rapport and the role it plays in the interrogation of difficult subjects, including suspects, detainees, and high value targets. Alison and colleagues provide an overview of ORBIT, which was developed from analysis of nearly 2000 hours of recorded interrogations. They go on to define rapport, explaining how and why it works by reference to this corpus of data--by far the largest of its kind in the world. ORBIT reveals what this data shows: that rapport-based methods work, and that coercion, persuasion, and threats do not. Outlining the development of their own unique stance on rapport and its influences, the authors demonstrate, through real-life examples and careful analysis, why harsh methods must be rejected and why compassion and understanding work.

Alison, Alison, Shortland, and Surmon-Bohr have worked together for eight years. Together they have collaborated with practitioners and gained unique access to real-world data, producing high-quality, rigorous research that has informed training and practice. The team currently provides training to the National Counter-Terrorism Police Network, the High Value Detainee Interrogation Group, the Joint Forces Intelligence Group, and a range of other organizations.


Laurence Alison is Professor of Forensic and Investigative Psychology at the University of Liverpool.

Emily Alison has worked as a behavioral consultant psychologist for the last 20 years, providing treatment in both the criminal justice sector and in the community.

Neil Shortland is the Director for the Centre for Terrorism and Security Studies (CTSS) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Frances Surmon-Bohr is a part-time Research Associate at the University of Liverpool.