Criminal Justice is a career one can choose to pursue. “I take it as a job, but I love it. It’s not like work to me; it is something I love to do…. Like they say, if you love what you’re doing, you never work a day in your life”. (Tutor). Becoming a probation officer is not easy. One will deal with multiple duties, such as, gender, dealing with people on a daily basis, education, and be able to fulfill the requirements to become a probation officer. However, if one likes working with people and following rules, this is definitely the career for interested applicants. First, let’s talk about the gender. Most probation officers are men, it’s very rare to see women doing the duties of a man. Statists show,” Historically, criminal justice agencies …show more content…
There are many paths that one can take after graduation, and thoroughly reflection is important when choosing a work environment. Whether one chooses to work within the state or local government will determine job security and overall career fulfillment. Currently about 91,700 criminal justice careers are held by probation officers and correctional treatment specialist and most were on the state and local level. Let’s talk about the education one needs to become a probation …show more content…
Such as, communication skills, Probation officers must be able to effectively interact with many different people such as probationers and their family members, lawyers, judges, treatment providers, and law enforcement. Also, critical thinking skills, assess the needs of individual probationers before determining the best resources for helping them, decision making skills, consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and be able to choose appropriately. Emotionally stability, probation officer must cope with hostile individuals or otherwise upsetting circumstances on the job, and have emotional stability, be able to manage multiple cases at the same time” (Occupational Outlook Handbook). It’s very important to be trained to work in the criminal justice field, have patience and know what to when one is under pressure. know that the qualities will be discussed, let’s talk about the pay
Probation officers who are infrequently alluded to as group supervision officers, regulate individuals who have been set on post trial supervision rather than sent to jail. They work to guarantee that the probationer isn't a risk to the group and to help in their recovery through continuous visits with the probationer. Post trial agents compose reports that detail every probationer's treatment design and their advance since being put on post trial supervision. Most work solely with either grown-ups or adolescents. A four year college education in social work, criminal equity, behavioral sciences, or a related field is typically required. Prerequisites differ by places. Most probation officers have to complete a bachelor’s program as well. I plan to continue through college with my criminal justice major and eventually begin to work on getting my degree.
The duties of a probation and parole officer are pretty universal nationwide and an officer must carry a high ethical standard in order to be successful at the job as well as values such as honesty, fairness, and consideration of others. Probation is an alternative that permits the offender to live among society with certain restrictions that are ordered by the courts. When prisons are overcrowded, an offender can be granted parole and they are given the opportunity to finish their sentence and live in society, with restrictions. Probation and parole officers both strive for the same goals: aid in rehabilitation, supervise, and protect the community as well
When it came to planning for my future career, I knew that I wanted to be successful in helping others around me and making the world a positive place. I wanted to be a part of making the world a better place and help the people in it with working to improve themselves. Through research, I came to the conclusion that becoming a probation officer would be a more suitable career for me and the goals I want to accomplish.
My chosen career path is to become a Juvenile probation officer. Juvenile probation officers work with youths that have been placed on probation and or have been court order to attend an alternative consequence school to continue their education. Most juvenile probation officers work with youths at a particular stage of their probation process, for an example supervision or investigation. This paper will cover information on the juvenile justice system and my career choice by touching bases with my interviewee a Juvenile Probation Officer Shelvin McGill the agency he is employed with as well as its clientele, I will also speak on the job description and responsibilities, his theory-of-use, and briefly touch on why he chooses this line of work, and his educational background.
For those who work in the federal probation system, there are many skills needed. The knowledge used by these individuals and the abilities they can offer to their field are vital if they are going to be successful in what they do and in caring for offenders who are on probation and need to be monitored closely but also treated with respect and decency. Probation and supervision are not the only areas where these individuals are needed, however, because they can also work in pretrial services, corrections, counseling, and case management. The skills they use in one of those disciplines often transfer over to other disciplines, but not every individual is good at more than one area of work. The environment in which these workers operate is one of pressure and stress, and that environment is always changing. That makes it something worth focusing on and working for, and also shows just how dynamic the workers must be in order to remain calm in the face of stressful events and situations with which they must deal - often on a daily basis.
A wide range of diversity in the field of criminal justice studies is of great importance. As a second-year graduate student, I was given an opportunity to work closely with U.S Probation and Pretrial Services as an intern. This internship allowed me to further my knowledge in correctional studies and provided the necessary resources to complete my master’s thesis. I was also exposed to various policies and procedures pertaining to probation practices while gaining a vast amount of knowledge assisting with investigations, liaisons between state and local agencies, and the intricacies of offender case management. Furthermore, I was able to form close relationships with employees of the agency who have assisted in my current career endeavors.
There are minimum requirements that a person will need to obtain if they want to become a probation officer. The first thing is that you must be eighteen years old and be willing to work with juvenile or adult offenders. Then you are required to have a high school diploma or a general educational development degree. Finally, the applicant may not have any felony convictions, and if so, the sentence must be at least fifteen years from the application. In order for the applicant to get the hiring process started, they must first retrieve an application from a county government facility. The application consists of many papers that require the applicant’s signature for consent of criminal, employment, and education background checks. All papers must be filled out completely, neatly, and turned in with your transcripts of education. The applicant must be able to pass a drug test, a physical exam, and a psychological test. If an applicant wants to have a better chance of being a possible candidate, they need to have prior qualifications. In the State of Texas, they require an applicant for a probation officer to have at least sixty college credits, or an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or human services. As a Texas probation officer you are required to have a four year degree in such related field as behavioral sciences, psychology, sociology, or criminal justice. Since there are
Probation is defined as a sentencing option in which an offender is released into the community under the supervision of a probation officer (Regoli, Hewitt & Maras, 338). Sometimes incarceration sentences are suspended by courts and for a period of time they may place an offender on probation. John Augustus was the nation’s first probation officer, who assisted individuals convicted of crimes for approximately 18 years. Augustus duties included investigating offenders, evaluating their character, assisting them to find jobs, and supervising them within the community. Currently, probation officers utilize his foundation concepts and apply it to their daily
Probationers are women convicted of non-violent drug crimes and other non-violent crimes. The problems for the probation office started when leadership from past administrator failed. The authoritarian administration led to too much control and workers not being successful. Some workers and
The probation officer role is significantly important and recognizably distinguish because they have to seek accurate information that is impartial, acquired in a timely manner, and complied in a comprehensive report court review. The report should be suffice so the determination of sentencing is impartial and to aid in corrections and community corrections officials in managing offenders under their supervision. Officers must adhere to the time-frames set by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure or under local rules established by the court. To further note, the recommended defendant sent to the probation officer; the presentence investigation begins immediately and does not desist unless otherwise told by a higher operating authority. Officers receptive to the information provided by all parties is suggestive, but must be very punctilious in not accepting all party’s opinions. Preferably, in how they view the person or situation at
These related job opportunities tend to have a lower median pay in 2015 compared to the median pay for police officers and detectives since they focused on a smaller population of individuals. The primary duties of a probation officer or correctional treatment specialists include supervising individuals that were given probation in order to prevent them from committing new crimes. Similar to the federal agencies, you would need a bachelor's degree in order to pursue a career as a probation officer or a correctional treatment specialist. They must undergo proper training that is sponsored by the state or federal government and passed a certification test. Some important qualities that individuals should possess to be efficient as a probation officer or correctional treatment specialists are excellent communication skills, critical-thinking
As a probation officer you have to enforce rules and keep orders with in prison. They also supervise the activities of the inmates. Aid in rehabilitation and counseling of prisoners is another duty an officer needs to do. A officer inspects facilities to ensure that they meet security and safety standards. Searching inmates for contraband items is part of their job. Last but not least
Also, probation report is a long and broad document that is aimed at a variety of criminal justice officials, including attorneys, criminal defendants, judges, police officers and probation officers (Carter, 2004). The report is part of a review of the criminal case, personal history of the criminal defendant, psychological examination and petitioning effort for a
As we know, probation and parole officers play a major role in shaping an offenders perception of reality as well as changing their behavior. The question that many will ask is “is the role of the PO that of a social worker or cop?” In my opinion, probation and parole officers have a huge weight on their shoulders due to the caseloads that they receive. Since the recent police brutality cases the mentality of an officer needs to change with the times. I believe that officers should lean more towards being a social worker/cop because they should be able to gain common ground with citizens while keeping their best interest and public safety at heart. In short, officers have to play multiple roles depending upon the situation and the stipulations
The purpose of this research paper is to discuss about Parole and Probation in America. The paper is going to focus on the past, present and future of parole and probation. This paper includes discussion of Parole and Probation Officers, as well as why some states so longer utilize parole, including Florida. This paper will also include personal input about the topic.