Effective communication is an important aspect in the Criminal Justice System. Therefore, communication can best be defined as a process through which information is shared between people via a mutual array of symbols, signs, and conduct.
The main objective of this paper is to attempt to clarify what effective communication comprises of in the criminal Justice setting. The processes and components which are majorly related to the process of communication shall also be dealt with.
Within this notion of the term communication, two significant kinds of communication exist. These are the verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Each type of communication is broken down into various subsets and components that enable one to dichotomize the notion of communication and further conduct studies on it. In verbal communication, the following tenet is applicable. “Many researchers are not able to come to an agreement concerning the true number of styles used in communicating.
Nevertheless, more are open to admit that they revolve around four different scopes: blaming, leading, persuasion, and solving problems” (Grubb, 2003). In non-verbal communication, communication is done by means of written words. It also includes body language. “Professionals in criminal justice have to be in a position to write with clarity and articulately. Citations from reports are normally mentioned in the proceedings of the court and judges look into them as components of the investigative procedure” (Grubb, 2003).
Listening and hearing are also important processes when attempting to understand what is being communicated verbally and should similarly be explored fully. To fully understand what a different individual may be talking about requires good listening skills. Listening and hearing seem to mean the same thing but they potentially differ in a great way. One difference is that listening takes a conscious approach and participation with the mind where one hears and internalizes what is being said. Hearing on the other hand can be an unconscious process where one simply hears what is being spoken without internalizing anything. Listening takes active participation in the process but hearing is mostly passive. Listening promotes understanding of what is being communicated but hearing fails to achieve this.
There are various types of informal and formal channels of communication in criminal justice organizations which can be used to enhance communication in certain circumstances. For example, when a person uses English as a second dialect or does not use it at all, ambiguity can crop up in verbal communication. As it stands today in the United States of America, thousands of different languages exist. Time and again, one is bound to hear Spanish or English as they happen to be the most common languages used. Nevertheless, varying with where one is located within the country, there could be languages of the Urdu or Chinese origins being used too.
Owing to the various unexpected changes in the demographic realignments caused by immigration since the beginning of the 1900s, several criminal justice firms have discovered that they are not well equipped to communicate appropriately with the ever increasing population within areas under their jurisprudence with masses that cannot articulate themselves properly using the English dialect. In as much as it is difficult to comprehend the different dialects and particularly understand them, a person should try to understand that it is likely for misunderstanding to occur and be prepared. The above issue concerning cultures and language use stands out as the biggest barrier to communication within the criminal justice system but can however be solved.
The importance of incorporating the use of formal and informal methods of communication sets in. In the southwest of the American nation, most people make use of Spanish as a language of choice and it greatly remains static with little consideration to the place a speaker originated from. The languages differ and with that disparity, confusion can indeed set in. This issue might seem to be petty to the non-speakers but can greatly affect the whole tone of a particular interview. The role of communication with different linguistic origins is appreciating any cultural differences that may exist as well. For example, in several Hispanic culture countries, corporeal understanding, touching, hugs and many other ways are informal modes of communication that can be permitted and promoted for use. It is pertinent to note that not everybody would be comfortable with the use of such methods. The disparities in social and cultural upbringing of different people could impact verbal and non-verbal forms of communication as well.
A number of the methods mentioned previously can be used for non-verbal communication too. It is easy to notice signals of stress or lying by simply watching or listening to a person’s speech. Individuals unconsciously appear to lean away when they are afraid or uneasy about a certain issue. Other people could cross their hands or even exhibit small frowns. Within every situation that one finds himself in, opportunity to communicate well should not be wasted. This is because each chance to communicate offers different variables to be used.
More significantly, individuals have to try as much as they can to avoid a situation where they miscommunicate. Alertness and understanding the different channels of communication is hence very important. In several ways, writing is among the best channels of communication. Nevertheless, with the introduction of internet and short messaging service on mobile phones, short messages are now the norm and due to this, there are divergent forms of communication that are both formal as well as informal. What is interesting is that the form of communication mentioned above is in a better way more complete as compared to a letter done in many pages.
Dealing with the barriers to communication may be hard. However, the easiest way is to remember to keep the information so simple. Nevertheless, there are times when many details have to be incorporated when authoring a judicial report. However, this can still be achieved with no need of being extremely descriptive. Different people may have divergent opinions concerning this matter. What is important though is being able to understand that incorporating more fact is okay. Little descriptions concerning single facts could also be good depending on the circumstance (Miller & Whitehead, 2011).
When authoring an email, one must ensure brevity is achieved and remain concise as well. When coming up with a certain report, it is important to deal with it as if it is being expunged by attorneys at each time it is presented. By explaining issues too much, you may indeed subject yourself to scrutiny hence increasing the chances of your reports being rejected in court proceedings. In the event an attorney held such reports, they would definitely question deeply the observation competencies of the individual who authored the first definitions while the second individual would potentially be subjected to a perfunctory evaluation. Hence, it is evident that less content can in many ways be more when related to reports as well as methods of communication within different offices in a firm.
In conclusion, it is obvious now that there are two major types of communication known as verbal and non-verbal communication. In addition, there are various components and subsets associated with them. Listening and hearing have also been distinguished. The different formal and informal channels of communication which may be used to communicate when faced with different communication barriers have also been dealt with. Lastly, strategies to avoid certain communication barriers have been summarized as well.
References
Grubb, Hemby, R, K. (2003). Effective Communication for Criminal Justice Professionals.. Belmont: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Miller. L. S., & Whitehead, J. T. (2011). Report Writing for Criminal Justice professionals. Burlington, MA: Anderson Publishing.