What is DD Form 2713? It is a Department of Defense form titled DD Form 2713, Prisoner Observation Report, March 2013, and its job is straightforward: Prisoner Observation Report. That single line covers most of what people want to know before they download it.
Will you need a different form because of where you serve? No. DD forms are Department-wide instruments, and that scope is what separates them from service publications. One edition, all branches, defense agencies included.
Where does the requirement come from? From not stated, with not stated responsible for the document itself. Those are the names to cite if anyone asks under what authority you filed.
Is this the right edition? The current one is dated not stated, and the publisher carries it as not stated. Check that against whatever copy you already have before going further.
What the form asks for
- Report date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day, no dividers).
- 1. Prisoner name (last, first, middle).
- 4. Housing unit/dorm.
- 5. Cellblock.
- 6. Detail.
- 7. Cell no./bunk no.
- 8. Observation. a. Type of observation: press space bar to mark X in first box if favorable, second box if unfavorable.
- X if injury observed.
- X if behavioral observation.
- b. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- c. Time.
- d. Location.
- e. Was prisoner notified about this report? X first box if yes, second box if no.
- 9. Observation reported by. a. Name (last, first, middle).9. Observation reported by. a. Name (last, first, middle).
- b. Grade.
- c. Title.
- d. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- 10. Witness. a. Name (last, first, middle initial).
- b. Grade.
- c. Title.
- d. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
- 11. Observation summary. Give an in-depth description of the observation; include all necessary information.
- 12. Signature of reporting person.
- b. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day).
Download the form
Which files are here? These: PDF. How much work is involved? 1 pages, about 38 entry fields.
Why do two kinds of pdf exist? Because two kinds of user exist. One completes the form on screen and forwards a file; the other prints a blank and fills it by hand. The fillable release has interactive boxes, the printable release is a static image of the same page.
Is handwriting acceptable? Yes, but it is the weaker choice. Scanning flattens pen strokes and reproduction blurs them, while typed characters survive the whole chain intact. Print in capitals if you are working from a paper blank.
Is there a charge? No — free, all formats. Where should you open the file? In a full pdf application on your own machine. Browser-embedded viewers handle field properties unpredictably.
In what order do you complete it? The printed order, top to bottom. Header data comes before the body, and the body before the signature block. The sequence is not decorative — later entries are keyed to earlier ones.
What if your copy is old? Replace it. Check the date printed on the form against not stated. Old blanks circulate for years in shared folders, and because a DD revision lands across the whole Department at once, the receiving office will be working from the new layout.
What if a specific field still puzzles you? Read the instructions printed on the form, then not stated. Which wins if they differ? The directive.
Where does the completed form go? To the office named in not stated or in your organization's local procedure. Should you keep a copy? Always — a scan or a saved file costs nothing and spares you the whole exercise if the original disappears.
Do you need to know which branch issued a related form? No. DD numbering is Department-wide and unified, which means the number on its own is a complete address for the document.
Can you assume a matching number is the same form? No, and this is where downloads go wrong. Read the prefix. Army numbering and Department numbering are independent systems, so the digits alone tell you nothing about which document you need.
How often does a form like this change? Unpredictably — revision follows directive changes, altered collection requirements and updated notice language. What is the practical defence? Verifying not stated every time you download rather than trusting a saved copy.
What does this page actually provide? The blank form and a description of it. What does it not provide? Legal guidance, procedural rulings, or any assurance about a particular filing. Who answers those? not stated, the administrative office that serves you, or the authority identified in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2713?
- DD Form 2713, Prisoner Observation Report, March 2013
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?