Are you thinking of pursuing a career in Probation or Parole?
Probation and parole is either a career or a lifestyle. This column is for readers not prone to criminal activity.
What does a probation officer do? Take a look at O’Net® and enter SOC 21-1092.00 and pull up the “Tasks” section. I will interpret for you.
“Interview probationers and parolees regularly…” so you can be abused verbally by people who, at best dislike, you, or, at worst, want you dead.
“Recommend remedial action….” and even though you are the sheriff, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Either way, you are going to make someone mad.
“Prepare and maintain case folder….” also known as overwhelming paperwork requirements. After all, it’s a government job.
“Discuss with offenders…..” which will be a one-way conversation falling on deaf ears.
“Conduct prehearing and presentencing investigations and testify….” where you will be criticized by both defense and prosecutors, but most of the time you will be sitting around the court house cooling your heels for hours and hours.
“Inform offenders or inmates of requirements….” which will again be a one-way conversation.
“Write reports describing offenders…….” to be read by nobody.
“Arrange for medical, mental health or substance abuse treatment…..” while still obeying the confidentiality rules such as HIPAA.
“Supervise people on community-based sentences……” where you will spend too much time tracking down your clients while trying to keep from getting shot, punched, yelled at, mugged, raped, robbed, etc.
Across the United States during 2012, there were 90,300 probation officer and correctional treatment specialists. Those numbers are going to shrink by 1 percent by the year 2022.
Growth, retirement, and other reasons will produce 2,360 openings per year. The medium wage in 2013 was $48,400 per year. California will be hiring the most, around 400 per year and paying a medium wage of $76,000, followed by New York at 122 and $66,400 and Colorado at 107 and $49,500.
Is this occupation appropriate for you? Take the O’Net® Interest Profiler Short Form. You should be scoring as SEC or Social, Enterprising and Conventional.
Social: Officers are required to interact with people of many types and stations in life.
Enterprising: Officers have to devise and carry out supervision plans, leading some and teaching others, with many decisions to make along the way. Some of those decisions will have dramatic consequences.
Conventional: Officers are required to follow rules, regulations and procedures and deal with facts, not ideas.
The next step is to record a list of all your skills and abilities. If your state unemployment office has a self-assessment tool, such as the one available via the virtual one stop, I strongly suggest that you build your list of abilities and skills under the categories of job and personal skills. This list will help you build a resume, respond to employment postings and prepare for interviews.
Study your potential employer. Will you be working for the state, a court, a municipal agency, and what are the politics involved? The position you want might be a civil servant position, or the spoils of a political campaign. Visit the probation agency and interview the officers if you can. If you have access to online news services, be sure to have your service seek out probation and parole stories, visit agency sites, and join the American Probation and Parole Association. Seek out other sources of contacts such as the New England Council on Crime and Delinquency.
Your credentials will need to include some deep experience that is useful to the probation agency and you will need an appropriate four year degree in most cases.
My career began with a position as a police officer and evidence technician. I progressed to municipal probation under the supervision of a district court, followed by a state probation/parole position within the Department of Corrections.
My police training and experience turned out to be my most valuable skills. I joined the force to avoid starving in a bad economic climate. Having to work under the restrictions imposed by the federal and state constitutions and Supreme Court decisions made it much easier to operate respectfully. As a probation/parole officer I was fully aware of my clients civil rights versus the powers of probation/parole supervision. I had also already met most of my clients.
Got all this down? Good! Write a resume, pound the pavement and good luck.
