Forensic Interviews
Forensic Interviews Across Southeastern Arizona
Lori's Place conducts every forensic interview in a warm, home-like space instead of a hospital or police station, so a child, teen, or adult can share what happened to them once, calmly, and be believed. Our trained forensic interviewers work alongside law enforcement and the county attorney's office so your family is never asked to repeat the hardest part of the story.
What Is a Forensic Interview?
A forensic interview is a conversation led by a trained forensic interviewer to gather a child's, teen's, or adult's account of abuse in language investigators and the court can rely on. The interview follows a neutral, non-leading structure, so the person being interviewed tells their story in their own words instead of answering repeated questions from different agencies. Families across Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee counties are referred to Lori's Place for forensic interviews by law enforcement, county attorneys, and medical and behavioral health providers who need one clear account instead of several.
A Warm, Home-Like Setting, Not a Hospital or Police Station
Lori's Place is the only advocacy center in the tri-county area built for forensic interviews and evidence-collecting exams to take place outside a hospital or police station. Our interview space is warm, comfortable, and secure by design, so a child or adult is not asked to talk about the hardest thing that has happened to them in an exam room or an interrogation room. That non-hospital setting is deliberate: a child or adult who already feels safe is better able to talk clearly about what happened to them.
Trained Interviewers, Working With Law Enforcement and the County Attorney
Every trauma-informed interview at Lori's Place is conducted by a trained forensic interviewer, never by a police officer or detective directly. That interviewer works within our multidisciplinary team, a close law enforcement partnership that also includes county attorney's offices, child welfare investigators, and medical partners from across Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee counties. Coordinating the interview through that team means law enforcement and the county attorney's office get the information they need to move a case forward, without your family having to sit through separate interviews with each agency.
Our interviewers follow the NICHD revised protocol, the evidence-based interview standard used across Arizona, and complete a minimum of 32 hours of advanced forensic interview training in evidence-supported interview protocol, plus a minimum of 32 hours of practice and observation. That training covers child development, question design, protocol implementation, the dynamics of abuse disclosure, and suggestibility, so every interview draws on a structured, evidence-based framework built for ethically appropriate, legally sound evidence collection. Our interviewers stay current through regular peer review and ongoing article review.
What to Expect Before, During, and After Your Interview
Step 1
Before your interview, you'll be welcomed into our home-like space and introduced to a victim advocate who can answer questions and explain what happens next, at whatever pace you or your child need.
Step 2
During the interview, only you or your child and the forensic interviewer are in the room, having one conversation, in one room, on one occasion, so nothing has to be repeated.
Step 3
After the interview, an advocate meets with your family again to talk through next steps, connect you with any additional support the multidisciplinary team recommends, and answer questions about what comes next in the investigation.
Confidentiality You Can Count On
What is shared during your forensic interview stays within the multidisciplinary team members directly working your case, so it is not repeated to every agency involved in the investigation separately. Lori's Place does not release interview details to the public, and every member of our team is trained to handle what you share with care and discretion.
Forensic Interviews for Children, Teens, and Adults
Forensic interviews at Lori's Place serve both children and teens and adults. A child forensic interview follows the same trauma-informed, non-leading approach as an adult interview, adjusted to the person's age and developmental stage rather than to a fixed script. Visit our Children and Teens page or our Adults page to see what a full visit looks like for your family, from arrival through the interview and any exam that follows.
Common Questions About Forensic Interviews
What happens during a forensic interview for a child?
A trained forensic interviewer meets one-on-one with your child in a comfortable, home-like room and asks open-ended questions that let the child describe what happened in their own words. The interview is recorded on video for DCS (Department of Child Safety) and law enforcement to use as evidence, so your child is not asked to repeat their account in a second interview. A parent or caregiver waits nearby rather than in the room, and an advocate is available before and after to support your family throughout.
Is a forensic interview conducted outside a hospital?
Yes. Lori's Place is the only agency in Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee counties that conducts forensic interviews outside a hospital or police station, in a dedicated, non-hospital setting built specifically for this purpose.
Where can I get a forensic interview near Sierra Vista?
Lori's Place, headquartered in Sierra Vista, provides forensic interviews for families throughout Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee counties. Law enforcement, a county attorney's office, or a medical or behavioral health provider can refer your family, or you can reach out directly through our hotline or contact form.
What does the forensic interview process look like at a child advocacy center?
As the tri-county area's family advocacy center, Lori's Place pairs every forensic interview with a trained interviewer, a comfortable non-clinical setting, and a multidisciplinary team of law enforcement, county attorney, and medical partners coordinating in the background so your family only has to tell the story once.
Every family who comes to Lori's Place for a forensic interview is met with the same warm, home-like setting and the same trained team, whether the referral comes from law enforcement, a county attorney's office, or a medical provider anywhere in Cochise, Graham, or Greenlee counties. If you have questions or need to schedule a visit, our team is ready to help.