THERE MAY BE SOME CLASSMATES THAT DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF PROBATION IS. IN THIS POST, I WILL ELABORATE ON THE FUNCTIONS OF PROBATION.
THE FIRST AND FOREMOST PART OF THEIR JOB IS TO WORK WITH THE OFFENDER IN THE COMMUNITY TO PREVENT THEM COMMITTING ADDITIONAL CRIMES. PROBATION OFFICERS DO THIS BY WORKING WITH OFFENDERS AND PROVIDING THEM WITH SKILLS THAT WILL HELP THEM STAY OUT OF JAIL. THE GOAL OF PROBATION IS TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM.
WHILE PROBATION OFFICERS ARE NOT POLICE OFFICERS, THEY ARE STILL CONSIDERED TO BE LAW ENFORCEMENT. PROBATION OFFICERS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE THE SAME PHYSICAL TEST POLICE OFFICERS TAKE. ON A DAILY BASIS THEY MEET WITH CLIENTS, CONDUCT DRUG TESTS, DO HOME/EMPLOYMENT VISITS AND ARE ABLE TO ARREST OFFENDER IF PROBATION IS VIOLATED.
PROBATION OFFICERS WORK CLOSELY WITH THE COURTS. IF AN OFFENDER HAS VIOLATED THE STIPULATIONS OF THEIR PROBATION, THE PROBATION OFFICER HAS TO INFORM THE COURT AND MAY BE REQUIRED TO TESTIFY.
ANOTHER PIECE OF INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT PROBATION OFFICERS IS...THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM PAROLE OFFICERS. PROBATION OFFICERS WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO JAIL OR SENTENCED PROBATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO GOING TO JAIL. PAROLE OFFICERS DEAL STRICTLY WITH OFFENDERS WHO HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO PRISON.
PROBATION OFFICERS PLAY A KEY PIECE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. NOT ONLY ARE THEY GUIDING INDIVIDUALS, BUT THEY ARE OFFERING THEM SKILLS TO BETTER THEIR LIVES.
Thank you for this great introduction. While I had a general idea of what probation is, you definitely gave a more clear and precise answer that will help me understand your blog more in the future.
ReplyDeleteIn what ways do you think probation officers and parole officers differ? Because probation officers only work with people who have been to jail rather than prison, do you see their personality traits being different? Just a few thoughts I had while reading through!
Cannot wait to read more!
Steffani
Thanks for asking Steffani! While probation and parole officers have very similar job duties, it is who they work with that makes the difference. Probation officers work with offenders who have been convicted of a crime but are sentenced to "serving" their time with probation instead of going to jail. Parole officers work with offenders who have served time in prison. I don't necessarily think their personalities are different, I just think the amount of time they work with offenders is different. Probation officers have far more cases than parole officers due to the level of time they spend with each offender. I'm sure we can all agree that helping someone who hasn't been to prison is easier than helping to reintegrate a person who has served time in prison back into society. That is a very difficult job and requires much more time to help those individuals become a part of our society again. Hope this helps and thank you for asking!
DeleteHi Marissa,
ReplyDeleteGoing off of what Steffani said, I think this is a good way to give some background about what probation is because sometimes it's mistaken for parole. As myself, I'm a criminal justice major and I think it's important to know the difference between the two. What I liked about your overview was when you were talking about how probation officers are law enforcement and they go through the same physical tests and police officers. I think this is good information to know when going into law enforcement and I look forward to seeing more posts from you!