The Incident Report That Reads Wrong
You witnessed an altercation on the exercise yard. Prisoner B (19, on an IEP 'basic' regime) pushed prisoner A (34) after A made a comment about B's family. A fell, hit his head on a bench and was taken to healthcare with a cut above the eye. You must write the incident report for the duty governor. Your draft currently reads:
"B kicked off again after A said something. B shoved A and A went down and hurt his head. B is a known troublemaker and always causes problems. A was probably winding him up. Healthcare took A away."
Your line manager wants it filed within the hour. A colleague says 'just tidy the spelling, it'll be fine.'
1. Identify every problem with the draft and explain why each matters.
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Problems:
- Opinion presented as fact - 'known troublemaker', 'always causes problems', 'probably winding him up'. These are conclusions, not observations, and they prejudice the report.
- Vague language - 'kicked off', 'said something', 'shoved', 'went down'. The governor needs specifics: what was said, what movement occurred, where.
- Missing facts - times, exact location, who else was present, whether medical attention was immediate, whether B was segregated, whether A was conscious.
- Causal speculation - 'A was probably winding him up' assigns blame without evidence.
- No record of your own actions - did you intervene, call for assistance, preserve the scene?
Why it matters: an incident report can feed disciplinary proceedings, appeals, and even criminal investigation. Opinion and vagueness make it challengeable and can undermine a justified outcome.
2. Rewrite the report in professional terms (150 words max).
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*'At approximately [time] on [date], on the exercise yard, I observed Prisoner A (34) make a verbal comment to Prisoner B (19) regarding B's family. B then pushed A with both hands to the upper chest. A fell backwards, striking his head on the metal bench at [location].
I immediately radioed for assistance and requested healthcare. A remained conscious; a laceration above his right eye was observed. Healthcare attended at [time] and removed A for treatment.
B was compliant following the incident and was escorted to [location] pending review. No other prisoners were involved. I have preserved my account and can identify two witnesses (Prisoner C, Officer [name]). CCTV covers the yard and should be preserved.
Signed, [name], [time].'*
Reasoning: factual, chronological, no opinion, records your actions and the evidence that needs preserving.
3. Your colleague says just fix the spelling. How do you handle this?
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Thank them but explain the report needs to be accurate, not just tidy - and that you are responsible for what you sign. Fix it properly, file within the hour if you can, and tell your line manager you have corrected the content and why.
Boundary: you should not be pressured into filing a report you know misstates the facts. If time pressure is genuine, file a factual account now and add detail later, marked as an addendum - never file opinion to save time.
Reasoning: integrity in reporting is a core professional value; a rushed, biased report can be the difference between a fair outcome and an unjust one.