Introduction
There are lots of positions available in the justice and correction industry waiting to be filled by qualified—in terms of skills and educational background, applicants. As a brief background, correction is an umbrella term used to describe different possible functions and actions that may be carried out by a particular state department (e.g. supervision, treatment, rehabilitation, and punishment) towards individuals who have been incarcerated or convicted of crime. Other functions of a corrections department include imprisonment, parole, probation, and even re-imprisonment for particular cases.
Every independent state usually has a dedicated department for monitoring and regulating corrections. In the state of Washington for example, they have their own corrections department named “Washington State Department of Corrections.” Other countries may have a different name pattern for their own corrections department though. The correctional duties and requirements of each state may differ from one another but the processes involved usually revolve around the ones mentioned above.
The objective of this paper is to identify a certain profession that is directly or at least closely related to the correction or justice industry, discuss certain aspects about such profession such as the job descriptions, salary range, required skills, qualifications, experience, and educational background, and to present and discuss an article about a certain Justice and Correctional Issue.
Parole Officer
A Parole Officer, otherwise known as a probation officer, plays a uniquely important role in the criminal justice and correction system. Generally, the role of a Parole Officer focuses on the supervision of previously convicted offenders that have been recently released to a community (Wortley, 2003). These individuals are technically free but the truth is, they are still under custody or close supervision. They are often required to report to a Parole Officer regarding the process of their reintegration to the community. Aside from monitoring the reintegration of ex-convicts into the community, Parole Officers are also responsible in tracking, supervising, and regulating inmates who are sentenced with non-custodial sanctions (e.g. community service, etc.). Along the process, they are required to make and present reports about the progress of the convicts. After the phase that involves all the abovementioned processes, Parole Officers are required to submit the reports and make sentencing recommendations based on their professional and personal judgment to the government judicial or law body responsible of handling such cases (Eskridge, 2004).
The salary of a Parole Officer depends on several factors like experience and educational background, just like a normal job. Of course it also differs from state to state. Some offer higher Parole Officer Salaries and some offer lower ones. It rangers from $37,000 to $59,000. However, Parole Officers who have a graduate degree are usually paid higher. These highly-educated officers earn anywhere from $70,000 to over $100,000 annually. On average, Parole Officers in the U.S. are expected to earn $45,000 per year. The requirements for an individual to be considered for a Parole Officer position are relatively light.
Applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree, regardless of the course, from a reputable state college or university. However, of course, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, criminal justice, corrections, social work, and other directly related courses are preferred. Higher Parole Officer Positions and designations require applicants to have a master’s degree in social work, criminal justice, counseling or any other related field.
The reason why I chose this particular profession is simple: their responsibilities, at least based on the common job descriptions, play a critically important role in the reintegration of convicted individuals to the community. Meaning, the success of these individuals highly depends on the performance, attitude, and ethics of the Parole Office assigned to supervise them. I was also inspired by the 2012 movie entitled “The Idiot Brother.” In that film, we could basically see the big role that Parole Officers play in the state’s justice and corrections system. A good Parole Officer should be able to motivate and encourage a convict to recover the time he lost in prison and be an achiever.
Article Review: Probation and Parole Officers and Discretionary Decision-Making: Responses to Technical and Criminal Violations
Parole officers face a lot of decision-making situations every day. In those situations, they have to think about what’s best for the individuals assigned to them using their professional and practical decision-making skills. It is not rare for a convicted individual sentenced with a non-custodial sanction to be involved in new forms of trouble, aside from the troubles that he has to deal with the State Department of Corrections. These troubles are often comprised of various technical and criminal violations. Now, a professional and competent Parole officer should of course know how to respond to such without harming his image or integrity as a parole officer, and in a fair manner. Parole officers and prison & jail officers reserve the rights to write and send an incident report or even a recommendation for disciplinary action to the court under their own discretion (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). Of course, it’s given that when you become a Parole Officer, you, as much as possible, want the convicts to feel good, encouraged, and motivated about their reentry. However, everything has its limits. Meekness cannot be the key to become a renowned Parole Officer; and in the same manner, rage also can be not. Parole Officers have to balance their emotions, attitudes, and decisions so that the decisions they make are nonbiased and fair—those that will benefit not only the convicts but the security of other people that will live around them.
Each country exercises a particular form of justice. Some states have extremely strict laws while some do not. There is no uniform system of enforcement that Parole Officers and other justice and correction professionals are required to follow. Aside from being an essentially impossible goal to accomplish, doing so could produce a lot of undesirable results.
Each region has its own problems when it comes to crime and security (Burke, 2004). Having a uniform and internationalized system of enforcement will not only create more loopholes in a country’s current justice and correction system; it may also cause conflicts and complications. With this information, local Parole Officers should be inspired to act professionally and competently in scenarios where their decisions will be inevitable required. Parole Officers should not abuse their authority and freedom to do malicious deeds and those that are intended to benefit them personally. They should also be aware that there may be instances wherein discrepancies—great discrepancies, between the practical which are likely the right decisions and the decision of their agencies and higher governing bodies will be present. Nevertheless, they should judge things and make decisions centered on professionalism and practicality.
Conclusion
After knowing a lot about Parole Officers, I was very impressed with how the current Parole Officers in the country make balanced but still fair decisions; considering factors such as the security of the state, and the possible effects of their decisions to the convicts, compassion, and professionalism. I am quite certain that this is the career that I will pursue one day.
The issue regarding the decision-making processes that comes along with being a Parole Officer says that: Firstly, Parole and other Disciplinary officers have the rights and freedom to make observations and judgments under their own discretion. Secondly, there is a limit to that freedom. They should make sure that their decisions are not influenced by any malicious and personal intentions. And Lastly, Parole Officers should expect discrepancies between their Agency’s decisions and the practical decisions, which is commonly the right decision. Personally, I think the article presents a very realistic view of what it’s like being a Parole officer, and what the common issues that these professionals face are.
Works Cited
Burke, P. (2004). Parole Violations Revisited: A Handbook on Strengthening Parole Practices for Public Safety and Successful Transition to the Community. Washington, DC: National Institute of Corrections.
Eskridge, C. (2004). Justice in the American Justice Network. In C.W. Eskridge. Criminal Justice: Concepts and Issues. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing.
Jones, M., & Kerbs, J. (2007). Probation and Parole Officers and Discretionary Decision-Making: Responses to Technical and Criminal Violations. The Journal of American Probation and Parole Association.
Wortley, R. (2003). Measuring Police Attitudes Toward Discretion. Journal of Criminal Justice and Behavior.
