Probation Officer

Overview

Who is Probation Officer?

A court official who regularly meets first-time offenders and is sentenced to a supervised probation time is called a probation officer. They work with first-time offenders and prevent them from committing new crimes. They work closely with law enforcement agencies, social services, educational institutions, placement agencies, and the housing sector to help assist the offenders with the rehabilitation plan that best suits them. The probation officers work on parolees for the state and local governments. One of the duties that a probation officer needs to fulfill is to track a parolee who might have fled and get them back to the system. The probation period could be anywhere from 6 months to a year, and at this time, the individual is forbidden from certain activities such as drug use, substance abuse, etc. The career as a Probation Officer can be somewhat stressful but can also be rewarding at the same time. Probation officers have the power to make a difference in someone else's life and prevent them from committing any further crime.

Typical day at work

What does Probation Officer do?

Probation officers supervise criminals to keep the public safe and limit the likelihood of reoffending. They also assist offenders in making better choices in their lives. Probation officers work with criminals in the courts, the community, and jail to keep communities safer. This entails communicating with criminals, victims, police, and prison service colleagues on a daily level. They will collaborate closely with relevant statutory and non-profit organizations and oversee authorized residential facilities for criminals and ex-prisoners. They also oversee and implement the terms of community orders, which are a less severe alternative to incarceration. Manage high-risk criminals, including violent and prolific offenders and medium and low-risk offenders. Provide pre-sentence reports for courts on those charged with crimes, assisting them in determining the appropriate sentencing. They safeguard the public by working efficiently with other criminal justice system agencies such as the police, municipal authorities, courts, and health care providers.

The roles and responsibilities of the probation officer include:

1. Meet the clients on a monthly basis and sometimes on a weekly basis as well.
2. Determine the level of supervision an individual requires.
3. Assess how involved an individual is in the community. 
4. Run programmes to help clients become rehabilitated in the community again.
5. Assess how prone is the individual to commit further crimes.
6. Fill out report forms while having a client meeting that needs to be submitted in court to check the progress levels.
7. Provide advice and guidance to the offenders.
8. Supervising the junior staff as well as educate them about the entire process of work.
9. Help and support the victims of a crime in a community.

Abilities & aptitude needed

What are the skills, abilities & aptitude needed to become Probation Officer?

A few necessary talents are needed for the post of probation officer; these abilities aid in the proper functioning of the work role. The individual must be a critical thinker and use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the individual to get to the best possible solution for them. They must be active listeners to pay full attention to what the client is saying, understand the points made by them, and ask relevant questions according to the conversations. They must also be aware of other people's reactions and understand why they react the way they did. Their communication skills must also be good for dialogues to be easier to understand. They also must have a substantial problem-sensitive ability. This helps them identify a situation where something is wrong or is about to go wrong; this does not involve solving the problem but just recognizing that there is a problem. They also need skills like strong communication skills, patience, stress management skills, time management abilities, interpersonal skills, and clear and concise writing skills.

Courses

Which course I can pursue?