Criminal Justice Capstone Project Submission

Running head: CRIMINAL JUSTICE 1

CRIMINAL JUSTICE 3

Criminal Justice: Professional Communication Skills

James Wooten

Criminal justice

Certain communication skills are essential for a criminal justice practitioner. Besides, every criminal justice practitioner needs to learn them, especially before entering the workplace, to ensure the success of their careers. Some of the effective communication skills that should be employed by a criminal justice practitioner are such as clarity, respect, listen more than you speak, confidence, appropriate body language, empathy, good public speaking skills, and positivity (Communication - a key to human development, n.d.). Clarity is an essential communication skill, which prevents misunderstandings, hence increases the chances of successful relationships, and hence helps to maintain a professional demeanor.

Respecting clients and co-workers in ways such as speaking in an appropriate tone is essential. Besides, it is critical to remember to learn your boundaries and respecting others who are up than you improve ones’ role in his or her career. Listening more than you speak maintains healthy relationships without overstepping your boundaries. Confidence makes a criminal justice practitioner appear both responsible and confident. Appropriate body language, such as looking at other people directly in their eyes, and firm handshakes are a show of confidence. Empathy shows acknowledgment and concern of other people’s needs and maintains good relationships (Australian National Audit Office, 2006). Positivity, through refraining from being negative, and dismissing anyone else’s ideas, is essential to maintain an efficient criminal justice practice.

Communication skills are necessary for the process of policy implementation. Besides, the participation of people is a critical issue in policy implementation, and participation requires communication. Moreover, it enables the planners to identify and formulate development programs so that the required needs are taken into account. Besides, in policy implementation, communication empowers people to recognize essential issues, so that they also find the common grounds for action, and builds a sense of identity, including participation to implement appropriate decisions (Australian National Audit Office, 2006). Communication also enhances improved teamwork and coordination, which offers adequate management of implemented policies.

Communication skills are important for some critical purposes. For example, it enhances the communication of early planning by providing sufficient attention to policy implementation. Moreover, it ensures that the critical success factors for implementation are well identified and then given sufficient attention to ensuring the success of the policy implementation. Communication skills also enhance the exchange of information by the responsible agencies, concerning a master plan and how to make it work. In this manner, the key elements will be identified and understood towards the policy implementation (Australian National Audit Office, 2006). The communication events may include decision-making, scheduling, risk management strategies, procurement, governance, and even management of contracts. The team members also communicate on matters of time, resources, and cost, including the milestones and manageable steps to be observed.

References

Australian National Audit Office. (2006). Implementation of Programme and Policy Initiatives: Making Implementation Matter.

Communication - a key to human development. (n.d.). Home | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/3/t1815e/t1815e01.htm