Module 3 Unit 7 Report Writing

EPO 14: List types of activities that may needed to be documented

- Identifying inmates, staff, and visitors - Searches (person-inmate, staff, visitor; cell, vehicle, and area) - Inmate counts (work groups and their locations) - Inmate movement - All safety and security checks and breaches - All crimes committed and disciplinary actions taken - Inmate visitation - Inmate counseling - Confiscation and disposal of contraband - Inventory of equipment and supplies issued to , and received from, inmates - All investigations - All emergencies, incidents, and unusual occurrences Pg. 27

EPO 11: Describe common forms for documentation

- Incident Report: PSD DOC - used to report in detail all incidents involving inmates, staff or events requiring reporting. These documents are in a narrative format. This is known in the Corrections Division as a 107 - Misconduct Form: PSD DOC 8210 - Used for inmate disciplinary infractions and details counseling and corrective actions take. This is known as a 106 - Disciplinary Report (DR) - Provides a detailed account of the facts surrounding an inmate's rule violation. This report sets in motion a series of events that ensure the inmate due process of reprimand - Use of Force Report - Is completed any time force is used and is attached to an Incident or Disciplinary Report - Counts Form - Used to record inmate counts as required by the Department - Special watch Form - Used to record activities of inmates under any type of special watch, such as suicide watch, 15-minute watch, and direct observation. Pg. 10

EPO 9: Identify note taking

- Note taking consists of marking down brief observations and quotes from the incident or subsequent informational interview. - Note taking is used to provide detailed documentation for writing a report, information for further investigation, and, in some cases, as evidence in court Pg. 28-29

EPO 7: Identify the purpose of note taking

- Officers must recognize that the information gathered during their initial contact will become the foundation for their reports. - The officers who respond to an incident are responsible for providing the information other participants in the criminal justice system need to effectively do their jobs Pg. 17

EPO 10: distinguish between opinion, fact, and conclusion

- Opinion - A statement that: can be open to different interpretations, expresses a belief not necessarily substantiated by proof - Fact - A statement that can be verified or proven has real, demonstrable existence - Conclusion - A statement that is based on the analysis of facts and opinions. Conclusions should always be accompanied with the supporting facts and opinions. Conclusions presented without supporting information may be considered unwarranted Pg. 24

EPO 5: List uses of reports

- Recording facts of an incident, event, activity, or corrective action, as well as actions taken by fellow officers - Given pertinent facts that will help determine if a follow-up is required by you or anyone else - Assist the prosecutor decide whether to charge an individual, and if so, with what charge - Informing authorized individuals, staff, management, or other criminal justice agencies or entities of incidents, events, or actions - Documenting compliance with, and accountability for, standards, policies, and procedures - Documenting the disciplinary process, investigation, or legal action - Preparing court cases - Evaluating correctional officers' job performance - Changing a policy or procedure - Improving on-the-job safety and security - Researching and compiling statistical data - Serving as a source of reference material Pg. 7

EPO 6: Identify readers of reports

- Supervisors and administers - in order to understand the details and review an incident - ACO's and other criminal justice employees - for investigative leads regarding an incident, updates, and general knowledge - Attorney - for evidence and dispositions - Judges - for evidentiary value and court rulings - Media professionals - for facts, leads, and credible information dissemination - Citizens - for general information and precautionary measures - Victims or their families - for verifying that information given to the ACO is correctly documented - Suspects or defendants - for making sure that the facts of the case as presented are that actually happened - Counselors/treatment professionals - for facts about patients - Governor, legislators, and parole commissions - for executive clemency, law making, victim restitution, or probation and parole hearings Pg. 9

EPO 8: Identify types of information to record in notes

- Who: Names of victims, witnesses, suspects, etc. - When: ate and time incident occurred or timeline of events - Where: Location of incident - What: Details of incident such as illnesses, injuries, and behavioral descriptions of persons involved - Why: Reasons or causes of the incident - How: Means by which the incident occurred - Actions taken" Steps taken to resolve the incident, such as disposition, confinement, medical treatment, verbal reprimand, etc. Pg. 29

EPO 3: Define Report

-A report is a permanent written account that communicates all available facts of an incident or events in a correctional setting. -Reports document information about inmates' behaviors, incidents or situations. Pg. 6

EPO 2: Explain the need for reports in the judicial process

-A suspect's freedom, rights or privileges cannot be taken away or denied unless there is sufficient cause to justify such action. -In order to ensure due process, officers, prosecutors, judges, etc., must have sufficient information and evidence to initiate or continue the process and successfully prosecute or exonerate a suspect

EPO 1: Explain the legal basis for requiring reports

-Any investigation, arrest, prosecution, or other action taken must be initiated, supported, or justified by the information included in the report written by that officer. -Because an officer's reports are so important to the judicial process, each on must be able to stand up to critical review and legal scrutiny Pg. 5

What does Accurate from fAccct mean?

Accurate - The decisions made and actions taken by the users of the report must be supported by accurate information Pg. 11

What does Clear from faCcct mean?

Clear - An investigative report must speak for the investigating officer at a time when that officer is not present. There should be no doubt or confusion on what the investigating officer is reporting. Pg. 12

What does Complete from faccCt mean?

Complete - An officer's report must contain all the relevant information and facts the user of that report will need. If the user must contact the writer to gather additional information, the report is not complete Pg. 13

What does Concise from facCct mean?

Concise - Reports should be brief yet, contain all relevant information the users will need to do their jobs. Wordiness can make report less readable and therefore less effective Pg. 12

EPO 4: Explain the acronym FACCCT necessary for writing reports

F: Factual - Critical decisions made based on an officer's investigative report require that each report be factual. Users of the report must have an exact and literal representation of the event or incident. A: Accurate - The decisions made and actions taken by the users of the report must be supported by accurate information C: Clear - An investigative report must speak for the investigating officer at a time when that officer is not present. There should be no doubt or confusion on what the investigating officer is reporting. C: Concise - Reports should be brief yet, contain all relevant information the users will need to do their jobs. Wordiness can make report less readable and therefore less effective C: Complete - An officer's report must contain all the relevant information and facts the user of that report will need. If the user must contact the writer to gather additional information, the report is not complete. T: Timely - No decisions can be made, or actions taken if an officer's report does not reach the users in a timely fashion. Evidence can be lost, suspects or witnesses may disappear, and the support and good will in the community can be lost if action toward resolving a case is delayed. Pg. 11-14

What does Factual from Faccct mean?

Factual - Critical decisions made based on an officer's investigative report require that each report be factual. Users of the report must have an exact and literal representation of the event or incident Pg. 11

What does Timely from facccT mean?

Timely - No decisions can be made, or actions taken if an officer's report does not reach the users in a timely fashion. Evidence can be lost, suspects or witnesses may disappear, and the support and good will in the community can be lost if action toward resolving a case is delayed.