“The Blue Room” – a child-friendly interrogation room under the relevant legislation

Abstract

Before Polish legislation regulated this aspect, psychologists often criticised lack of separate regulations concerning the special treatment of minors. Psychologists claim that during conducting this legal action one needs to take into account many additional factors, such as the emotional development of a child and the child’s emotional maturity and sense of security. The idea of friendly rooms for interrogation was a crowning achievement of appealing for a psychological and legal environment for many years. The aim of this article is to present the idea of friendly rooms of interrogation in light of current regulations, and also to present the origin of the idea up to its realisation and the change of legal regulations in this matter. It is also necessary to prove, basing on analysis of the origin of establishing these rooms and legal regulations, that the existence of blue rooms is essential and intentional in order to provide correctness of proceedings with the participation of children in an appropriately adjusted environment. The standards of interrogation of minors, witnesses and victims, and instructions in relation to the appearance and equipment of interrogation and technical rooms are described in the article. Also addressed is the procedure involved when interrogating minors in so-called ”blue rooms”. The ultimate goal of the article is to find an answer to the question of whether the protection of a child in the light of the legal regulations in force is effective.