II. Interview Structure

2.) Hot Cognitions

This refers to those thoughts or ideas that are pressing, important, and usually require some form of decision or action. When conducting interviews with offenders, staff may uncover unanticipated, urgent information. An offender may be suicidal, at risk from a co-defendant, or have significant health issues. When these kinds of issues arise during the course of the meeting, staff should generally continue the overall information-gathering process, but be sure to return to the hot issues at close out.