Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals

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.

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.