subject: Probation officer: Job Description [print this page] Author: Kevin Jones Author: Kevin Jones
Parole officers and probation officers play a role in criminal justice systems by supervising offenders who have been released from incarceration and, often, in recommending sentencing in courts of law. A probation officer works for the criminal justice system, supervising offenders who have not yet been sentenced for crimes or individuals who have been sentenced to probation or given suspended sentences. This differentiates a probation officer from a parole officer, who supervises prisoners who have been released early for good behavior. In some regions, the functions of parole and probation officer are combined for greater efficiency. Primarily, a probation officer ensures that the terms of probation are enforced. For example, a court may agree to put someone on probation if they agree not to consume drugs or alcohol, and to refrain from socializing with certain people. The probation officer meets with this individual along with family, friends, and employers, on a regular basis, and he or she may perform random visits or tests to ensure that the person is complying with the probation restrictions. Work environment. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists work with criminal offenders, some of whom may be dangerous. While supervising offenders, they usually interact with many other individuals, such as family members and friends of their clients, who may be angry, upset, or difficult to work with. Workers may be assigned to fieldwork in high-crime areas or in institutions where there is a risk of violence or communicable disease. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists are required to meet many court-imposed deadlines, which contribute to heavy workloads. In addition, extensive travel and fieldwork may be required to meet with offenders who are on probation or parole. Workers may be required to carry a firearm or other weapon for protection. They also may be required to collect and transport urine samples of offenders for drug testing. All of these factors make for a stressful work environment. Although the high stress levels can make these jobs very difficult at times, this work also can be very rewarding. Many workers obtain personal satisfaction from counseling members of their community and helping them become productive citizens. Typical work activities Tasks typically involve: providing pre-sentence reports on people charged with an offence, which help magistrates and judges to decide on what sentence should be passed; managing and enforcing community orders made by the courts, which may involve participation in group programs (usually run by specially trained probation officers), ensuring offenders attend supervision with a probation officer, and/or ensuring offenders undertake unpaid work that benefits the community (if offenders do not cooperate, the probation officer will arrange their return to court for a further punishment); delivering specialist programs to change offenders' attitudes and behavior in order to help reduce further offending; providing specialist reports to prison governors and parole review boards that help determine whether a prisoner should be released and, if so, under what conditions, e.g. curfew/tagging order or probation supervision; undertaking meticulous record keeping and review processes; Probation officers, who are called community supervision officers in some States, supervise people who have been placed on probation. Correctional treatment specialists, who may also be known as case managers or correctional counselors, counsel offenders and create rehabilitation plans for them to follow when they are no longer in prison or on parole. Parole officers perform many of the same duties that probation officers perform. The difference is that parole officers supervise offenders who have been released from prison, whereas probation officers work with those who are sentenced to probation instead of prison. Pretrial services officers conduct pretrial investigations, the findings of which help determine whether suspects should be released before their trial. In most jurisdictions, probation is a county function and parole is a State function.About the Author:
