This tried and tested book provides practical guidance with specific writing samples and guidelines for producing strong reports in criminal justice–related professions.
This tried and tested book provides practical guidance with specific writing samples and guidelines for producing strong reports in criminal justice–related professions. It addresses many facets of written communication in criminal justice, from police and security officer reports, to investigative findings, probation or parole reports, and other corrections forms, and forensic or scientific documentation. Criminal justice professionals often spend a large portion of their worktime writing reports. The information provided in these reports is crucial to the functioning of the justice system. Many law enforcement, security, corrections, and probation and parole officers have not had adequate training in how to provide well-written, accurate, brief, and complete reports. This book covers everything officers need to learn from basic English grammar to the difficult but often-ignored problem of creating documentation that will hold up in court. This new edition includes coverage of technological advances and potential uses of artificial intelligence in digital and electronic report writing.
This book is suitable for undergraduates across the Criminal Justice curriculum as well as for police academies and other criminal justice training venues.
Section 1: The Nature of Report Writing Introduction
1. The Why and How
of Report Writing Why Do You Write Reports? Law Enforcement Reports Security
Reports Corrections Reports Probation and Parole Officer Reports Forensic and
Scientific Reports How Do You Write Reports? Writing the Log Do Not Copy
Randomly Chosen Models How Do You Get Started? What Kind of Notebook Should
You Use? How Much Should You Record in a Notebook? Investigate, Do Not Just
Record Do Not Use Legalese or Old-Fashioned Terminology Should You Use
Abbreviations? Add Sketches, Photographs, and Diagrams Evidence for Law
Enforcement Types of Evidence Evidence Collected for Security Evidence
Collected for Probation and Parole Need for Documentation What Should Be
Documented? The ABCs of Report Writing Summary
2. Starting to Write Planning
Your Writing Completing the Face Page Review Your Notes Make a Shopping List
Place Information in Groups Label the Groups Place Groups in Order Writing
the Report Subheadings Proofreading and Revisions Sample Writing Exercise
Using the Shopping List Method Creating a Shopping List from Notes Grouping
the Shopping List Labeling the Shopping List Placing the Labeled Shopping
List in Order Final Report Basic Recommendations for Writing Reports
Spelling, Jargon, and Abbreviation Verb Tense Active versus Passive Voice
Pronoun Agreement Third Person versus First Person Gender-Neutral Language
Superfluous Words or Legalese Accurate and Factual Reporting Conciseness
Promptness Summary
3. The Face Page UCR Crime Definitions Part I Offenses
Part II Offenses Methods of Gathering Information Correct Abbreviation and
Capitalization Dealing with Names Writing a Good Synopsis Keeping Up with
Trends Summary
4. The NarrativeThe Continuation Page and Follow-Up Report
Continuation Page, Follow-Up Report, and Supplementary Report or Material
What Is Your Purpose? Who Are Your Readers? Chronological Organization Using
Military Time Headings and Subheadings as a Way of Organizing Creating Visual
Impact and Ease of Reading Avoiding Repetition and Meaningless Material
Getting Rid of Stereotyped Fillers Summary
5. Habits That Make for Speedy
Writing Writing About People You and Your Fellow Employees Describing Other
People Writing About Property Writing About Places Specific Parts of a
Location Describing MOs and Trademarks Definitions of MO and Trademark Avoid
Being Called on Your Time Off Summary
6. Other Types of Writing Learning from
the Short Memo Writing a Letter Emails and Other Electronic Media Recording
Minutes of a Meeting The Presentence Investigation Report Research and Other
Reports Summary
7. Reading and Correcting Reports Common Problem Areas Use of
Word Processors Improving the Agency by Helping the Individual Summary
Section 2: The Mechanics of Report Writing
8. Simplified Study of Grammar
Identifying Parts of Speech Using One Word in Several Ways Using Verbs in the
Past Tense The Sentence Direct Objects versus Indirect Objects: Learning the
Patterns Identifying Active and Passive Verbs Identifying Independent and
Dependent Clauses Recognizing Prepositional, Participial, and Infinitive
Phrases Using Phrases as Adverbs, Adjectives, and Nouns Prepositional Phrases
Participial Phrases Infinitive Phrases Using Prepositions in Your Report
Prepositions Commonly Used with Certain Verbs Prepositions Commonly Used
After Certain Expressions Summary
9. Avoiding Errors in Sentence Structure
The Run-On SentenceSource of Many Errors Block Method of Visualizing
Sentence Structure Punctuation Problems SubjectVerb Agreement NounPronoun
Agreement Dangling Participles Sentence Fragments Summary
10. Making
Punctuation Work The Comma The Semicolon The Colon The Apostrophe The
Ellipsis Parentheses Quotation Marks The Dash Underlines Summary
11. Breaking
the Spelling Jinx Take Special Care with Names Learn Words Commonly Used in
Report Writing Commonly Misspelled Words Study Common Problem Areas Clearing
Up the -ing Confusion Learning Words with Tricky Letter Combinations Forming
Plurals Dealing with Other Complexities of the English Language Strengthen
Your Overall Writing Ability Developing Proofreading Techniques Summary
12.
Using or Abusing Words Biases Slang and Dialects Do Not Use Legalese Avoid
Using Words or Phrases That Draw Conclusions Improve Your Vocabulary
Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms Jargon Avoiding Sexism Avoiding Racism
Considering Ageism Semantics Nonverbal Communication Developing Your
Vocabulary Summary
13. Abbreviating and Capitalizing Abbreviating to Save
Time and Space Numbers and Codes Used for Abbreviation Clarify Abbreviations
Abbreviations of Latin Terms Changing Rules Be Consistent Postal
Abbreviations for States and Territories Capitalization Do Not Overcapitalize
General Rules for Capitalization Capitalizing and Indenting for Brevity and
Impact Summary Section 3: The Modernization of Report Writing
14. Innovations
in Criminal Justice Report Writing Identifying Criminals Identifying Trends
Improving Ways of Sharing Information Innovations Looking Toward the Future
Summary and Conclusion Summary of Innovations
Larry S. Miller is Distinguished Professor and former Chair in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at East Tennessee State University. He received his Bachelor of Science from ETSU, Master of Science from Eastern Kentucky University, and Ph.D. in Health and Safety with collaterals in Forensic Anthropology and Criminology from The University of Tennessee. Miller, who has worked as a police officer, criminal investigator, and crime laboratory director, teaches in the area of law enforcement. He is also co-author of Effective Police Supervision, Criminal Investigation: A Method for Reconstructing the Past, Crime Scene Investigation, Police Photography, Huber and Headrick's Handwriting Identification: Facts and Fundamentals, and more.
John T. Whitehead is Professor Emeritus and former Chair in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at East Tennessee State University. He completed his M.A. at the University of Notre Dame and earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany. He has published articles about corrections, probation, and the death penalty. He is also co-author of Juvenile Justice: An Introduction, Ethics in Criminal Justice: The Search for the Truth, Corrections: Exploring Crime, Punishment, and Justice in America, Sexual Abuse Within the Church: Assessment, Intervention, and Prevention, and more.
