Investigative Interviewing Methodology Becomes Part of Legal Education in Ukraine
When investigative interviewing becomes part of education, it stops being an “innovation” and becomes a standard. This is exactly how systems change. Today we see how this methodology is gradually moving from professional development programs for practitioners into the system of legal education. Different universities are at different stages: in some institutions the course is already being taught for the second time, in others the first cycle has just been completed, while in some universities it will start for the first time this spring.
This is not simply about adding new subjects to academic curricula. It is about shaping a different professional perspective from the very beginning of a legal career — one that is human-centred, ethical, evidence-based, and grounded in respect for human dignity.
JustGroup supports this process together with its partners through the development of curricula, methodological support, training for lecturers, and educational materials. An important pillar of this work is the expert-trainer team in investigative interviewing. Their experience and practical expertise form the foundation of all our programs — both for practitioners and for students. Together we learn, analyse practice, and gradually build a new culture of interviewing within criminal investigations.
The first universities to integrate this approach into their academic programs were the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the Law Faculty of the Ukrainian Catholic University. Later, other institutions joined this process, including the Institute of the Security Service of Ukraine at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and several higher education institutions within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system.
The University of Customs and Finance joined this initiative and marked the launch of the “Investigative Interviewing Methodology” course with a three-day training event held from 10 to 12 March 2026. The event brought together students, lecturers and practitioners.
“For JustGroup, this is an important stage of development: we are consistently working to ensure that the investigative interviewing approach is formed not only through training programs for practitioners but also through its integration into university curricula. It is particularly valuable that the course was initiated by Natalia Pavlova, Associate Professor at the Department of Law Enforcement, who is a graduate of the JustLearn program for training lecturers,” noted Vasylyna Yavorska, Head of JustGroup, at the event in Dnipro.
The JustGroup team provides methodological and expert support for the course. Viktoriia Rohalska, Professor at the Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs and JustGroup consultant on innovative solutions for the criminal justice system, contributed to the development and support of the program.
Volodymyr Vasylchuk, a senior detective at NABU and a member of the investigative interviewing expert-trainer team, also participated in the training, as did graduates of JustLearn programmes: National Police investigators Yevhen Moskovka and Viktoriia Rufanova, and Vitalii Nikolaichuk, a prosecutor at the Dnipro Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
We are grateful to our colleagues at universities for their openness to new approaches and will continue working to ensure that investigative interviewing gradually becomes part of the professional culture of future legal professionals in Ukraine.
Photo: University of Customs and Finance
