Pros And Cons Of A Probation Officer And The Criminal Justice System

A probation officer’s has many duties to fulfill. They are not only supervising the offenders that live within the community, but by monitoring probationers’ progress. The offender must stay away of any trouble, yet comply with the rules and regulations required. A probation officer should help the offender resume a better, productive life for themselves. They should also make it their duty to help them to rehabilitate and be placed back into the

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

Probation officers serve as supervisors and mentors for offenders who are trying to get back on their feet. When a convicted offender is released on probation, the officers have to help set up counseling appointments, educational programs, employment opportunities, and housing. The duty as a probation officer is to make sure an offender attends any counseling, job training, and work to get them involved in social activities needed with their rehabilitation. An interesting fact about a probation officer is that they spend most of their time doing paperwork. Although probation officers visit their clients, and do regular drug test on them, they spend most of the time doing paper work and documenting their client’s progress. You would have to have a big passion for helping others because the job can seem boring to people who do not have a desire to help people. The officers monitor offenders to prevent them from committing new crimes. This helps to try and make the world a better place.

“The Prison and Probation Service has two main goals: To contribute to the reduction of criminality, and to work to increase safety in society. To achieve these goals we work with sentenced persons in order to improve their possibilities of living a life without committing new crimes.” (Linstrom and Leijonram)

Before we explore the roles and responsibilities of a Juvenile Probation Officer we first must explore the juvenile justice system itself as well as to why it was set in place. In the United States, juveniles that fell into trouble with the law were automatically treated different from adults. Before the juvenile courts were established, children under the age of 7 were never really held responsible for their criminal acts. The law considered them unable to commit any criminal intent, however this could be disproved if the child knew that the act he or she was committing was a crime or that it would cause harm to another

See last page (court hierarchy). As a Chief P.O. I have administrative responsibilities including personnel evaluations/discipline/work schedules. We have a total of 13 probation officers. I 'm also the liaison to all the Judges, if they have concerns about anything, they tell me and I address it. In addition to administrative responsibilities, I also am in charge of our drug testing lab and the Domestic Assault Response Team. I also am the P.O. for anyone on probation and in our drug court program (45 as of today) that I supervise and hold accountable.

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

The job description and performance requirements for probation officers can vary from state to state and vary between federal and state officers. However, in addition to monitoring offenders probation officers will also typically coordinate rehabilitation and treatment opportunities and arrange job training or job search assistance. Probation officers may also administer drug screens, meet

Families can remain together, and parents can work and remain a stable presence in their households. The probation department can work to rehabilitate the offender through a variety of social services, such as drug or alcohol treatment or life skills classes.” (Thompson). Probation, in comparison to prison or jail is very effective in saving money while also making society better as a whole because of the affect that it has on the individual. While on the outside, the offender has the chance to reunite and make amends with family members and people that are close to them, but just as important, they have the chance to find a job through the services distributed by the probation officer overseeing them. The constant checkups, monitoring, and rule regulations give the probationer a more structured lifestyle, something perhaps they haven’t had

To everyone wondering if probation and parole officers should carry a firearm, I believe that they should have it as long as they know when and how to use it. Of course with all the news going around with officers shooting unarmed victims, it's kind of difficult if many people would agree with them carrying firearms. If the officers are in a dangerous situation where they are being shot at, a firearm would be useful during that situation. If firearms are consider to extreme for officers to use, a taser gun would be more efficient even though most officers are also know to abuse it as well. Like most things, there are some advantages and disadvantages regarding parole and probation officers carrying firearms on the job. Officers who support

My human service program, Adult and Juvenile Probation doesn't have an exact needs and program assessment, but the purpose of my program is to punish and rehabilitate those who have committed a crime or maybe help turn around a child who has done wrong. Probation is often given as a gift from good behavior and suspends prison time unless violated. Probation is supposed to 'keep someone in line,' when you're on probation there is quite a list of things you may have to submit to. Random drug testing even if your crime didn't involve drugs, home checks, and even monthly meetings with a probation officer. Your officer will keep track of your case and you as an individual, their job is to make sure you follow the court ordered rules or you

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were over 4 million adults on probation in the United States in 2010. Today more and more agencies have shifted from simply monitoring an offender’s compliance to using evidenced based practices to reduce recidivism rates. The intense involvement with offenders caused by this shift exposes officers to many new stressors that previously did not exist. A recent study by Kirsten R. Lewis, M.Ed., Ladonna S. Lewis, Ph.D., and Tina M. Garby, Psy.D., examined whether specific caseload events are associated with stress and burnout among this career specialty using various survey instruments. The results confirmed 2 of their hypothesis that officers “who reported violent and sexual recidivism on their caseloads, offender suicide, and threats and/or assaults in the line of duty scored significantly higher on measures of traumatic stress and burnout…” Length of service was also a contributing factor. The authors’ report of job stress on probation officers is applicable to any human service professional and especially supervisors, managers and administrators who have the capacity to make meaningful change by creating training programs and establishing ways to deal with the negative caseload events. The small study sample limited reliability of the results and more data is needed to assess the overall problem. Ms. K. R. Lewis is a probation officer with the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department and is an adjunct

Probation officers are very hard workers, they help the community in very many ways. Probation officers is someone who works with and monitors offenders to prevent them from committing new crimes. Probation officers go to school for four years which is a bachelor degree. A few good schools are Ohio State and Arizona State. Those are some colleges I really recommend.

In Units 1-4 of this class, we discussed the supervision of individuals on probation and parole, as well as, the roles of probation and parole officers. Probation is a form of sentencing for a criminal offense (Alarid & Del Carmen, 2012). Probation mandates the convicted individual to remain in the community under red in lieu of serving time in jail or prison (Alarid & Del Carmen, 2012). Probationers are required to adhere to the conditions outlined in the probation (Alarid & Del Carmen, 2012). Parole is the release of an inmate back to the community under supervision, after he or she has completed a portion of his or her prison sentence (Alarid & Del Carmen, 2012).

Correction and Probation officers should be working in the criminal justice field and have knowledge of the types of cognitive behavioral therapy interventions (CBT) including T4C. It is important that these participants have experience with computers and any other related technologies.