Control and resistance

Using questions strategically to control witness testimony is imperative to a successful criminal trial. Witnesses are not without power and can deploy resistance strategies in the face of controlling questioning. Through an examination of question typology, question function, and answer types, this paper aims to provide a holistic understanding of how counsel and witness negotiate narrative production through the unique turn-taking system present in witness testimony. Rachel Jeantel’s testimony, in the case of Florida v. Zimmerman, was analyzed to explore the relationship between question types, question functions, and type-conforming or resisting answers. Results are in line with general counsel strategies for direct and cross-examination; counsel prefer more controlling questions, with a higher relative proportion of controlling questions in cross relative to direct examination. Type-conforming responses are the most common response in both types of examination. Resistance strategies employed by the witness are more common in cross-examination. However, there exist interesting dynamics between avoidance, correction, and confirmation-eliciting questions. Finally, the presence of question clusters and interruptions may contribute to narrative control and resistance to such control.