Deliberate metaphors describing the production and presentation of police-suspect interview records

This research explores the use of deliberate metaphors in focus groups with police forces to describe two underexamined features of the criminal justice system: the transcription of audio recorded suspect interviews, and the presentation of these records in court. The data are part of 'For The Record', a three-strand collaboration between linguistic researchers and police from England and Wales, which aims to improve the consistency and integrity of official records. Strand three involves focus groups with police interviewers and transcribers across three forces, which offers an opportunity to examine how they conceptualise this complex process. Drawing on Steen’s (2023) Deliberate Metaphor Theory, we coded metaphors for novelty, directness and signals in nine focus groups (six with interviewers, three with transcribers) totalling 208,059 words. To further inform
claims of deliberateness, we complement this approach with Cameron’s (2008) notion of metaphor shifting. In combination, this shows how metaphors are both introduced and received to reach a shared understanding with one another and with the moderator. Findings reveal that participants in both roles deliberately use metaphors of creativity. Interviewers describe reading out transcripts in
court as “interpretive dance” and “pantomime”, while transcribers liken their job to “reading a good book” and “telling a story”. We discuss the value of DMT in revealing the potential origins of these metaphors, and their implications for the delivery of justice.