ABSTRACT

The criminal justice process is dependent on accurate documentation. Criminal justice professionals can spend 50-75% of their time writing administrative and research reports. Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals, Fifth Edition provides practical guidance--with specific writing samples and guidelines--for providing strong reports. Much of the legal process depends on careful documentation and the crucial information that lies within, but most 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. Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals 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 is updated to include timely information, including extensive coverage of digital reporting, updates on legal issues and privacy rights, and expanded coverage of forensics and scientific reporting.

part |2 pages

SECTION 1 THE NATURE OF REPORT WRITING

chapter 1|38 pages

The Why and How of Report Writing

chapter 2|16 pages

Starting to Write

chapter 3|34 pages

The Face Page

chapter 5|16 pages

Habits that Make for Speedy Writing

chapter 6|16 pages

Other Types of Writing

chapter 7|20 pages

Reading and Correcting Reports

part |2 pages

SECTION 2 THE MECHANICS OF REPORT WRITING

chapter 8|14 pages

Simplified Study of Grammar

chapter 9|12 pages

Avoiding Errors in Sentence Structure

chapter 10|16 pages

Making Punctuation Work

chapter 11|24 pages

Breaking the Spelling Jinx

chapter 12|28 pages

Using or Abusing Words

chapter 13|12 pages

Abbreviating and Capitalizing

part |2 pages

SECTION 3 THE MODERNIZATION OF REPORT WRITING