A Probation Officer Is An Example Of Which Kind Of Social Service Goal?

two boxing gloves with parole office and probation officer icons

Yous're that person who tin can talk to just about anyone, regardless of their background. You enjoy helping people go on a better track and love the idea of piece of work that keeps your community safe. If you're because a career in criminal justice, yous've probably encountered the parole officer versus probation officeholder conundrum.

Y'all know both professions play a pivotal role in the criminal justice system, merely you have no idea how they differ from one another. How tin you lot confidently cull your career path if you don't know where each path leads?

Consider this commodity your route map. We used a combination of government information, real-time job assay software and expert insight to help you understand the differences when comparing a parole officeholder versus probation officeholder.

Parole vs. probation: The functional differences

With such similar names and functions, it's understandable that there is some defoliation over parole versus probation. Both terms involve police force enforcement supervision over people who've cleaved the constabulary. Simply parole and probation are also very different in how they are assigned.

What is parole for?

"Parole is when an offender has served fourth dimension in prison and is given an opportunity to serve the remainder of his/her sentence under supervision in the customs," says Rose Du Houx Pogatshnik, Law Enforcement programme chair at Rasmussen College.

Prisoners may be released to parole by a parole decision board (discretionary release) or according to provisions of a statute (mandatory release), according to the Agency of Justice Statistics (BJS).^ane Parolees are usually required to abide by sure guidelines and failure to comply can effect in a return to incarceration.

Many agencies have updated their names and missions to customs corrections because information technology better reflects the goal of the job, Pogatshnik says. "To provide supervision within the customs."

What is probation for?

"Probation is generally a sentence given in lieu of jail or prison," Pogatshnik says. Probation is normally reserved for people who have committed nonviolent offenses. A judge will opt for a probation judgement if he or she believes the perpetrator tin benefit and recover by working or going to school.

Individuals on probation can have widely dissimilar supervision requirements. Those sentenced to active supervision must regularly report to their assigned probation officer. Those on an inactive supervision status are exempt from regular reporting.

Parole officer vs. probation officer: The careers

The principal role of both these careers is to supervise offenders and ensure they see the weather condition set by the courtroom or jurisdiction, according to Pogatshnik. "Parole and probation officers share the common purpose of supervising offenders. The central difference is when that supervision is taking place."

In the case of parole, it's after incarceration.

What does a parole officeholder do?

Virtually parole officers are employed past state or local governments with the stated purpose of helping individuals make the difficult transition back into the community later incarceration. Parole officers meet regularly with their parolees to ensure they are constant past the atmospheric condition of their release. A parole officer may also play a role in deciding whether a parolee goes back to prison house if violations occur.

Working with violent offenders makes the function of a parole officer quite dangerous. They make dwelling house inspections and perform other tasks that put them in close proximity with their parolees. The job can be risky, but it'due south also rewarding to assistance in the reform and rehabilitation of people who are trying to bounce dorsum from incarceration.

Duties of a parole officeholder:

Meet with soon-to-be-released inmates to create individualized parole plans
Help parolee find a identify to live, employment and/or treatment for mental health issues
Monitor and evaluate progress
Conduct drug/alcohol tests and home visits to ensure conditions of release are existence met
Attend court hearings and communicate with employers/counselors regarding parolees

What does a probation officeholder do?

Much similar their parole counterparts, these government employees are responsible for policing the behavior of the probationers assigned to them while also helping them succeed in the customs.

Probation officers usually piece of work with irenic or first-fourth dimension offenders in the hope of leading them abroad from further criminal behavior. While they all the same acquit dwelling visits and interview family members, they are seldom armed and face somewhat lower risks on the job since their primary population involves nonviolent offenders.

Duties of a probation officeholder:

Interview offenders and make recommendations to judges for conditions of the sentence
Monitor offender to ensure they are abiding past the terms of their probation
Regularly meet with probationers to appraise progress, administrate drug tests and follow upwardly with treatment plans
Write pre-sentencing reports and document visits with probationers

For more on this role, check out Pros Betrayal half dozen Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Probation Officeholder.

Parole vs. probation: Job requirements

If i of these positions is starting to pique your interest, the side by side logical question is: What do I need to do to become one? Learn about the educational and training requirements needed for each career.

Parole officer requirements

Get-go and foremost, prospective parole officers usually acquire a bachelor's caste in criminal justice, psychology, social work or a related field. We analyzed hundreds of parole officeholder jobs posted over the by year to find out what employers are looking for. Virtually 72 percentage of listings called for at least a available's degree.²

Many parole officers will as well attend a parole academy, similar to a police academy, prior to bold their office. Candidates must also pass all-encompassing background investigations to ensure they have no felony convictions in their past. Other requirements might include oral, written, concrete and psychological exams, depending on the employer.

Probation officer requirements

The formal education needed for probation officers is similar to that of parole officers. Over again, a bachelor'southward caste in criminal justice, corrections, human services or psychology is the most common requirement. The aforementioned job analysis constitute that 69 per centum of employers require their probation officers to have at least a bachelor'due south caste.^two

Most probation officers also must complete a training program sponsored by their state or the federal government. They may work as an officer-in-training for upward to one year earlier entering a full-time position and volition likewise need to pass background checks.

Parole officer vs. probation officeholder: Choosing your role

As you tin can see, these jobs are deeply like. Pogatshnik says students might cull a career direction based on the populations they are most interested in working with. "For case, depending on the jurisdiction, there might be opportunities with offense-specific offenders such equally those with drug or alcohol offenses."

You might gravitate toward intensive supervision caseloads where offenders are college gamble and need more supervision. Or yous might prefer more generalized caseloads involving misdemeanor offenders. Pogatshnik says most entry-level jobs are either assistant roles or involve lower-stakes caseloads to requite new recruits some fourth dimension to learn the ropes.

Some states no longer use "parole vs. probation" as specific terminology and have shifted into more generalized terms for supervisory roles, Pogatshnik notes, adding that federal, state and county level opportunities are all available. Each of these "levels" volition involve their own rules and quirks—making the employer side of these careers a big differentiator in what you might do on the task.

Explore careers in criminal justice

By at present you lot have a much better thought of the differences between a parole officeholder versus a probation officer. While at that place'south plenty of overlap between these rewarding roles, at that place are also important distinctions to consider when mapping a potential career path.

If you'd like to learn more near careers in the criminal justice field, our commodity "9 Careers in Criminal Justice for Degree Holders to Consider" is an excellent starting point.

¹Agency of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, What is the difference between probation and parole? [accessed March 2019] https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=qa&iid=324
ⁱⁱBurning-Glass.com (analysis of parole and probation officeholder job postings, Feb. 01, 2018, and Jan. 31, 2019)

EDITOR'Southward NOTE: This commodity was originally published in 2015. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2019.