Probation and Parole Professionals Chapter 11 Probation and Parole Professionals

Introduction The PO role seems to be changing There are serious concerns throughout the correctional community about whether POs are police officers or peace officers PO work is increasingly specialized Gangs are a pervasive part of society, therefore POs have to be familiar with affiliations PO work is stressful

Probation and Parole: Risk/Needs Assessment Assessing offender risk: brief history Many risk assessment measures have been devised and used for determining probabilities of clients to engage in dangerous behaviors These instruments allow corrections personnel to highlight client weaknesses Criminologist and criminal justice scholars have become increasingly involved in devising risk assessment inventories Dangerousness and risk are often used interchangeably Needs assessment instruments also measure an offender’s social skills, health, well being, and emotional stability

Probation and Parole: Risk/Needs Assessment Types of risk assessment instruments Anamnestic prediction Prediction of offender behavior according to past circumstances Actuarial prediction Prediction based on the characteristics of a class of offenders Clinical prediction Prediction based on predictor’s professional training and experience

Probation and Parole: Risk/Needs Assessment The effectiveness of risk assessment devices Presently efforts to predict offender behavior remain at best an unstable business Two important questions in designing an instrument are: Which factors are most relevant in prediction? What weight should be given to each of these factors?

Probation and Parole: Risk/Needs Assessment Some applications of risk/needs measures Ohio’s goals and objectives Provide for public protection Provide appropriate continuum of sanctions Provide safe, secure, and humane conditions Recognize achievement of inmates with problems Make the decision-making process more open

Probation and Parole: Risk/Needs Assessment Selective incapacitation Incarcerating certain offenders deemed high risks to public safety and not incarcerating other offenders determined to be low risks Is designed to reduce crime by incarcerating only those most likely to recidivate Obviously it is discriminatory and ethics and fairness of predictive sentencing are called into question There are too many variables that can interfere with proper prediction of individual behavior

The Changing Probation/Parole Officer Role The quality of PO personnel is increasing compared with past years A belief is that more educated personnel may be better able to manage the stress associated with PO work At the same time, those with higher education also have higher levels of job dissatisfaction EM and home confinement is changing the qualifications of those who supervise offenders Private enterprise in now entering the field

The Changing Probation/Parole Officer Role Global positioning satellite systems: tracking offenders from outer space Technological advancements have modified PO roles and how they do their jobs With GPS, POs can track an offender on a computer and tell what street the offender is on, anywhere in the state POs can also send instant messages to their clients and warn offenders These cannot, however, detect other violations such as substance abuse

The Changing Probation/Parole Officer Role Apprehension units One fact faced by probation and parole agencies is that some proportion of their clients will abscond All departments of corrections throughout the United States have apprehension units Apprehension units are dedicated departments consisting of specialists who engage in offender tracking and apprehension Their business is to find absconders and bring them back to their jurisdictions for punishment

The Changing Probation/Parole Officer Role Gang units In 2002, there were over 29,000 known gangs in the United States Consisting of over 800,000 members This has become a major problem for POs As such gang units have been formed to learn more about gang affiliated clientele PO agencies strive to enhance their knowledge of both street and prison gangs in order to more effectively supervise them

The Changing Probation/Parole Officer Role Research units An essential part of any probation or parole department is a research unit These units compile extensive information about probationer and parolee characteristics as well as information about jail and prison populations These units are essential to effective probation and parole program planning

Stress and Burnout in Probation/Parole Officer Role Performance Stress is a nonspecific response to a perceived threat to an individual’s well being or self esteem Each person will act differently to varying stressors In-service training therefore is very important in helping officers to become aware of these stressor as well as symptoms of stress Some stress is good, in moderate amounts it can enhance the learning and creative processes

Stress and Burnout in Probation/Parole Officer Role Performance Burnout is one result of stress It is a term used to describe work alienation, apathy, depersonalization, depression, and other job related complaints There is no agreement as to how burnout should be defined Maslach (1982) has identified at least 15 different connotations of the term

Stress and Burnout in Probation/Parole Officer Role Performance Sources of Stress Job dissatisfaction Role conflict Role ambiguity Officer-client interactions Excessive paperwork and performance pressures Low self-esteem and public image Job risks and liabilities

Stress and Burnout in Probation/Parole Officer Role Performance Mitigating factors to alleviate stress and burnout Incorporate features into PO training programs to make them more streetwise This will help them be safer when conducting face-to-face interviews This may include things like hand-to-hand combat training or other self-defense skills

Volunteers in Probation/Parole Work Volunteers in probation or parole work Any unpaid person who performs auxiliary, supplemental, augmentive, or any other work services Examples: Serving as tutors Providing transportation to parenting sessions Teaching hobby skills Teaching computer and job search skills Providing gifts around the holidays

Volunteers in Probation/Parole Work Criticisms of volunteers in corrections Pervasive volunteer naivete Lack of long-term commitments Do not work independently Volunteers lack expertise and experience Volunteers threaten job security Some volunteers may be aiders and abetters

Paraprofessionals in Probation/Parole Work Salaried assistants working with Professionals Roles: Depends on amount of training Some assist mental health professionals in prisons Some work with children Used in mediation projects such as alternative dispute resolution

Volunteers in Probation/Parole Work Legal liabilities - Volunteers and Paraprofessionals The case of Hyland v. Wonder (1992) Liability issues may include: Negligent hiring Negligent assignment Negligent retention Negligent entrustment Negligent direction Negligent supervision