Probation Officers: The Specialized Subjects

Essay by Leslie_molina November 2004

download word file, 6 pages 3.0

Downloaded 163 times

Probation Officers: The Specialized Subjects

"Many people who are convicted of crimes are placed on probation instead of being sent to prison. During probation, offenders must stay out of trouble and meet various other requirements. Probation officers, who also may be referred to as community supervision officers in some States, supervise people who have been placed on probation" (U.S Dept. of Labor 1). Probation officers assist people in making the right choices and implement circumstances of the punishment. Probation officers, in most states also take on the status of the parole officer. Many states believe the two careers have the same sense of duties and combined the two.

A probation officer may be exposed to dangerous working conditions. The earnings and the retirement are generous. A career in probation requires a certain amount of training and education, and the stress implemented on a probation officer has many factors.

I will discuss in the following paragraphs the dual role of the probation officer and the parole officer as well as the dangers, some responsibilities, qualifications, earnings, and some stressors.

In many states the probation officer and parole officer are combined. "The primary difference between probation and parole is that probation is an alternative to incarceration, while parole is supervised release from incarceration before the expiration of the sentence. Each involves considerable interaction with offenders, and it is becoming more common to have one officer handle both probationers and parolees" (Harr, Hess 60).

The probation officer has a responsibility of keeping the offender from committing other offenses. The parole officer has other duties such as making a schedule for the offender to help with organizing his time. The offender has been told what to do for so long, and now needs assistance in making everyday decisions. The parole officer can...