Correctional Report Writing

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Correctional Report Writing An Annual
Review Version 2
Oklahoma Dept. of CorrectionsTraining
Administration
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Course Information
Course created by Lynne Presley, Training
Administration, Oklahoma Dept. of
CorrectionsData Sources Material furnished by
Donna J. Burkhalter, Correctional Training
Officer, William S. Key CC Course Released
August 2001 Revised April 7, 2004 Oracle
Course Code ADMI203200Training Credit Two
Hours Contact lynne.presley_at_doc.state.ok.us
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Course Objectives
After finishing this course, participants will be
able

• to understand and define the most common types of
  reports used in the correctional workplace
• to identify the three types of reports that have
  a high degree of legal implications
• to identify the seven basic elements of a report
• to identify the six requirements for writing
  effective correctional reports
• to identify the items that should be included in
  hand-written notes

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Introduction
Corrections is a business that relies on written
communication. Accurate and complete written
reports form the documentation that helps to
complete our agency mission. When documentation
is not complete, the result may be lost time,
confusion, and costly personnel and legal
proceedings.
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Definition
Just what is a correctional report?
For the purpose of this training, a correctional
report is defined as a written, formal
presentation of facts.
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Types of Reports
What are some of the most common correctional
reports?

• Log entries and written records are also
  considered forms of correctional reports
• Visiting logs
• Telephone call logs
• Mail logs
• Canteen records
• Property records

• Disciplinary reports
• Incident reports
• Medical reports
• Serious Incident Reports
• Inspection reports
• ACA reports

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Report Accuracy
Why do correctional reports need to be accurate
and well-written?

• Every written report is an official document
• Mistakes in grammar, composition, accuracy and
  ethics may come back to haunt you
• You may have to defend your report in court
• Because they provide a means of insuring that
  written policies and procedures are applied
  consistently by all staff and are appropriately
  documented

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Review of Reports

• Who might review correctional reports?
• Your supervisor
• The facility head
• Executive staff
• Sheriff or jail administrator
• Attorney General
• An inmates attorney
• Court personnel
• The public

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Legal Implications
Written reports may have legal implications. The
reports contents may well decide the outcome of
litigation against the facility, the agency, or
you personally. Reports that may have legal
implications include

• Disciplinary reports contested by an inmate
• Incident reports regarding a use of force
• Other reports concerning conditions of
  confinement or civil rights

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Basic Report Elements
Correctional reports contain common elements,
which will be defined in the following pages.
The elements are

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• How?
• Why?
• Action taken?

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Basic Report Elements Who?

• Was everyone involved identified in the report?
• Is their involvement clear?
• Does this include witnesses and people who gave
  assistance?
• Have these secondary people been interviewed, or
  have they submitted a report?
• Remember to identify inmates by their complete
  name and number.
• Remember to identify employees by their complete
  name and title. (Although all facility employees
  may know who an employee is, a subsequent
  reviewer maynot.)

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Basic Report Elements What?

• Are the facts in the report clear, complete and
  accurate?
• State the facts, not what you suspect happened
• Precisely identify objects used or involved by
  furnishing complete descriptions and details.
  For instance, an officer inventorying property
  might write one gold ring with diamond.
  Instead, the officer should write One
  gold-colored ring with a clear stone.
• Include all relevant events

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Basic Report Elements When?

• Are all time elements connected with the event(s)
  identified in the report?
• If the exact time is unknown, specify the
  approximate time and trace steps from the last
  known time. Example I just finished eating
  lunch (I started at 1210 pm) and was on my way
  to relieve the A unit officer when I saw
• Are events reported chronologically (in the order
  that they happened)?
• Make sure there are no unexplained gaps in time

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Basic Report Elements How?

• Remember to provide a chronological narrative of
  how the situation began, progressed, and ended
• Are the conclusions in the report supported by
  the facts?

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Basic Report Elements Where?

• Does the report identify locations where the
  event(s) took place?
• Are the significant features of each place
  identified?
• List identifiable locations. Example C Unit,
  McArthur side, in front of the Officers
  Station
• List the location of each person and important
  object

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Basic Report Elements Why?

• Remember to stick to the facts. Dont add your
  feelings, opinions or speculation to the report.
• Was there a motive? (If this information is
  second hand, state so and furnish the source of
  the information)
• Do not exaggerate or embellish the facts and
  circumstances of the incident.

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Basic Report Elements Action Taken

• What was the final disposition of the incident?
• If the problem was referred to someone else, to
  whom?
• If the incident was handled informally, how was
  it handled?
• Specify if any other related reports were
  completed
• Report what the disposition of the evidence was,
  and identify the witnesses and victims, if any

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Requirements for Good Reports
1 Be complete

• Is the report complete, with no missing
  information?
• Have you proofread the report for accuracy and
  readability?
• Have you included all essential information?
• Did you use a passive voice when writing the
  report? (e.g. do not write I went to the housing
  unit. Instead, write Officer name went to
  the housing unit.)
• Did you sign and date the report?

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Requirements for Good Reports
2 Be concise

• Dont editorialize just state the facts
• Be brief and to the point
• Make every sentence count
• Avoid repeating a point already made
• Do not include unnecessary information that is
  not pertinent to the specific incident

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Requirements for Good Reports
3 Be clear

• Use simple, descriptive words
• Avoid exaggerated prose
• Use names of people, numbers, titles, clock and
  calendar time, gender, and words that point to a
  specific person or thing
• Dont use needlessly formal words. Example
  Officer Wellman extracted the inmate from his
  cell. (The word removed is more appropriate
  than extracted.)
• Avoid slang and jargon. Example Catch out,
  snitch, jigger, and punk are slang and not
  appropriate to use

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Requirements for Good Reports
4 Be correct

• Avoid poor grammar by using simple descriptive
  language (have a trusted co-worker check your
  work)
• Check for correct spelling using a dictionary
• Write neatly and legibly
• Give accurate information
• Record actual words or phrases spoken, and dont
  paraphrase or generalize

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Spelling and Grammar A Closer Look
Remember that misspelled words detract from a
reports credibility. In fact, misspelled words
can

• Make the officer look careless
• Confuse the reader
• Change the meaning of a sentence
• Affect the officers credibility in court

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Spelling and Grammar A Closer Look
Here are some tips to improve your spelling and
grammar

• Proofread your report, then have someone else
  proofread it
• Use a dictionary and spell checker
• Keep a list of corrected words that you commonly
  misspell
• Make sure your verb tenses are correct
• Make sure you know the meaning of a word before
  using it, especially when using technical and
  medical terms

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Requirements for Good Reports
5 Be courteous and objective

• Avoid judgments, stereotypes, opinions and biases
  in your report
• Avoid absolute statements. For instance, Jones
  is always late for count is an absolute
  statement. Unless Jones is late for every count,
  a more accurate statement would be Jones is
  frequently late for count.
• If necessary, jot down your notes, then allow a
  cooling-off period before writing your report.

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Requirements for Good Reports
6 Be professional

• The report should be neatly-written and free of
  physical flaws (avoid creases, wrinkles, smudges,
  etc.)
• The report should be well-organized and
  error-free
• The report should be prepared in a format thats
  appropriate and easy to read (neatly written or
  typed)

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The Importance of Taking Notes
Its not always possible to write a report
immediately after an incident has happened.
Examples Medical emergencies requiring
transport, fire evacuations, and group
disturbances. When you cannot immediately write a
report, make it a habit to record the facts of
the situation in a pocket notebook. Notes can be
an excellent memory aid when you write your
report. Notes can also be used to refresh your
memory when you testify in a court case.
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What to Include in Your Notes, Part 1
Jot down all information you might need to
complete your report, such as

• Dates and times of incidents
• Inmates who were involved in or witnessed the
  incident
• Employees who were involved in or witnessed the
  incident
• Any other information pertinent to the incident

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What to Include in Your Notes, Part 2
Points to remember when taking notes

• Notes should include the essential information
  youll need for your report
• Make the notes as quickly as possible after the
  incident
• Include verbal statements of participants and
  witnesses
• If applicable, include sketches of the scene and
  locations of people and important objects
• Note all evidence collected and its disposition.
  Describe any distinguishable marks and tags on
  the evidence.

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What to Include in Your Notes, Part 3
More points to remember when taking notes

• If needed, have pictures taken and marked, and
  make note of this
• Record events in chronological order and list
  approximate times of events
• Always carry your notebook
• Number the notebooks pages consecutively, and
  dont remove any pages
• Record only facts and observations, not your
  opinions

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What to Include in Your Notes, Part 4
More points to remember when taking notes

• Record your words accurately, so they wont be
  misinterpreted and used against you in a legal
  proceeding
• Make reference to all communications and reports
  concerning the incident
• When the notebook is full, file it away in
  chronological order with others, in case you need
  to reference it at a later date.
• Use your notebook only for business, not for
  personal use.

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Advantages of Taking Notes
By following the note-taking tips in this course,
you will have the basis of a report. Using this
system will reduce your error rate and add to
your credibility. The most important benefit is
that your reports will have a greater degree of
accuracy relative to times, statements, and
events than memory alone allows.
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Self-Test Page 1
Click on the letter by the answer you think is
correct.
1. This course defines a correctional report as
a written, formal presentation of facts.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 2
2. When correctional reports are not accurate
and complete, the result may be
Loss of staff time
Costly legal and personnel proceedings
Both A and B
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 3
3. The accuracy of visiting log entries is not
as important as the accuracy of disciplinary
reports.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 4
4. Every written correctional report is
considered to be an official agency document.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 5
5. Who might review a correctional report?
A County Sheriff
An Attorney General
Both A and B
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 6
6. Correctional reports concerning conditions of
inmate confinement or civil rights have
Legal implications
The requirement that they must be destroyed when
the incident is over
The requirement that they must be destroyed after
six months
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 7
7. It is not necessary to include the complete
name and title of employees mentioned in a
correctional report.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 8
8. When describing an incident, it is proper to
include your suspicions as to why the incident
happened.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 9
9. If evidence was seized during an incident,
the disposition of that evidence should be
included in the incident report.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 10
10. It is proper to refer to an inmate as a
snitch in a report.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 11
11. Misspelled words in a report can affect an
officers credibility in court.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 12
12. You should use absolute statements in your
reports, such as Inmate Jones is always late
for count.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 13
13. When you cannot write a report immediately
following an incident, what should you do as soon
as possible?
Share details of the incident with co-workers, so
they can help you to remember details when you
write your report
Record the facts in a pocket notebook to help you
remember the details when you write your report
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 14
14. When recording incident details in your
notebook, verbal statements of incident
participants and witnesses should be included in
your notes.
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Self-Test Page 15
15. When entering incident details in your
notebook, you should include facts, observations,
and your personal opinions about the incident
True
False
Click button to go to next question ?
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Exit
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