Effective Written Communication For Public Service Personnel

758 Words4 Pages

The Administration of Justice, according to Wikipedia, can be defined as the process by which the legal system of a government is executed. The presumed goal of such an administration is to provide justice for all those accessing the legal system. In this course, Effective Written Communication for Public Service Personnel, we focus on the importance of multiple forms of communication from the law enforcement perspective of the justice system. From the meaning and needs of effective communication, to oral and written communication techniques, writing reports, and possibly having to use those techniques in a court of law. This course breaks down the most basic forms of communication and teaches better, more efficient ways to communicate within …show more content…

These skills include the ability to read, write, and understand what is written, as well as to orally transmit and receive information (Pearson, pg. 6). Being able to understand the principles of verbal communication is imperative for law enforcement officers. Speaking as a correctional officer for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 90% of my duties require me to effectively communicate verbally with not only law enforcement officials, but with the inmate population. Knowing my audience and their ability to understand what is being said to them is imperative. Within the inmate population, the communication process might have to be simplified or repeated for particular individuals to understand what is being said or what is needed from them. With other officers and supervisors, in emergency situations for example, statements and actions need to be clear and concise to get proper responses for certain circumstances. If a fight started within the prison among the inmates and I am the first responder, I need to provide distinct information over the radio to summon assistance to the area needed, while also giving verbal commands to all inmates to stop participating in the fight. If I could not aptly communicate what is needed from staff and inmates, I cannot effectively do my …show more content…

Having a strict file management system allows officers and law enforcement agencies to store, retrieve, and manage information which helps them work more efficiently. The more organized a file management system is, the easier it is to obtain and provide the information needed in the event that an incident go to court. Police reports, arrest records, criminal history, and crime statistics and just some of the data gathered and kept on file. Law enforcement agencies are usually up to date and records are kept on file through the use of computers, and depending on the department, also have paper records as a backup in the event of computer