Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals

So much of the process of criminal justice depends on good documentation, and criminal justice professionals can spend as much as 50-75% of their time writing up administrative and research reports. Much of the legal process depends on the careful documentation that records crucial information. And yet most of these law enforcement, security, corrections, and probation and parole officers have not had adequate training in how to provide a well-written, accurate, brief, and complete report. Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals provides practical advice on report writing -- with specific writing samples and guidelines. The authors go beyond the routine English grammar approach to deal with the difficult but often-ignored problem of documentation that will hold up in court. Important concepts are emphasized with related checklists, forms, and pull-out chapter tests. The material is organized into three sections: The Nature of Report Writing, The Mechanics of Report Writing, and The Modernization of Report Writing

NEW TO THIS EDITION Updated and revised with new material on forensics and scientific reports, crime reporting, common errors in forensic reports, and automation of report writing. Appendixes are thoroughly revised, with new examples of reporting forms, worksheets, and reports, including a sample forensic lab report and presentence investigation report.

Text complemented by numerous examples, sample reports and tools.

Each chapter concludes with a sample test for the reader to self-evaluate learning.

Appendices include model reports, examples of agency instructions for completing report forms and selected readings.

Larry S. Miller is Distinguished Professor and Chair of Criminal Justice and Criminology at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). He received his Bachelor of Science from ETSU, a Master of Science from Eastern Kentucky University, and his Ph.D. in Health & 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 and is the author of several books on topics including criminal investigation, criminal justice report writing, police photography, and more.

John T. Whitehead is a Professor 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 SUNY-Albany. He teaches courses in corrections, criminal justice ethics, and the death penalty.