Written Communication and Report Writing
Written Communication and Report Writing assesses whether you can record an event the way a correctional officer must: accurately, objectively and completely, so that a reader who was not there understands exactly what happened and what you did about it. Your report may later be read in a disciplinary hearing, a criminal proceeding or a coronial inquest.
The standard
A custodial report or incident statement should answer who, what, when, where, why and how, plus what action was taken, who was notified, and what the outcome was.
- Factual, not opinion. Describe behaviour, not your interpretation. 'Inmate X raised his voice, clenched his fists and stepped towards Officer Y' rather than 'Inmate X was aggressive'.
- Chronological and specific. Use 24-hour times, full names and roles, and exact locations.
- Direct speech in quotation marks where words matter. Do not paraphrase threats or admissions.
- Attribute hearsay. 'Inmate A stated that…' - never present second-hand information as your own observation.
- No speculation, sarcasm, jargon or undefined abbreviations.
- Complete every field, sign and date it, and never alter a record after the fact - corrections are made by an addendum.
Worked example
Poor: 'The inmate was being a smart aleck so I told him to shut up and he kicked off.'
Better: 'At 1420 hours, Inmate [name] said, "You can't make me lock in." I said, "You are required to return to your cell now." He remained standing in the doorway. I stepped back, called for assistance on my radio and notified the Unit Manager. At 1424 hours, two officers attended and Inmate [name] walked to his cell without further incident.'
The second version is usable in a review, a charge or an inquiry; the first is not.
Traps
- Writing conclusions instead of observations.
- Omitting your own actions and the times you acted.
- Vague timing ('later', 'sometime').
- Passive voice that hides who did what ('force was used').
- Adding detail you cannot actually recall to make the story neater.