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Probation Officers Should Be Legal

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Probation officers wear many different hats; some are those that they never dreamed about when becoming an officer of the court. Probation officers are the offenders’ friend, confidant, mental health counselor or even a parent to an offender that may be just turning 18, who has not had a parent influence. This feeling of someone looking out for the offender may make the offender feel more comfortable and willing to work with the officer. However, the probation officer needs to be able to establish the relationship but keep it more of a professional relationship so the offender does not become confused. Setting the standards and expectations with the offender may allow the offender to understand the limits and expectations. Often times a probation officer needs to be able to sit down and speak to their offender on a personal level gaining the trust and respect of them. Probation is defined as a suspension of a jail sentence, allowing the convicted person to remain within the community (FindLaw, 2015). Sometimes there is a misunderstanding the difference between probation and parole. Probation allows the offender to not serve any jail time, while parole is a release from prison on conditions allowing the offender to complete their sentence within the community. Probation has three primary goals to rehabilitate the offender, protect society from further criminal conduct by the offender, and to protect the rights of victims (Probation, 2015).
Probation started many

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