Describe Why Enter The Field Of Probation Officer (PO)?

PROBATION OFFICERS
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PROBATION OFFICERS
The field of a probation officer is one that requires dedication to helping the convicts that are out and serving their probation period. As such it is job that requires the dedication of a strong person relative to the fact that, one has to take in the different perspectives of the offenders and that of the community (Umamaheswar, 2012). Basically, the probation officers is the go between the community and the offenders as they try to reintegrate with the community. The motivation of a probation officer comes from the element of helping the offenders find their way back to the community but most importantly to restart their lives and make better choices. Spending time in jail has its effect in the fact that, the offender is already lagging behind in terms of their life processes and they require assistance to get back on their feet (Umamaheswar, 2012). As such, the probation officer is tasked with making sure that offenders have an easier time reestablishing their life in the community and with the families.
There are quite a number of aspects that are required for a probation officer to be deployed to their work stations. This is relative to the fact that, they require the basic skills to handle the different cases that come with the, handling juveniles and even adults required subtle skills. The first part of the requirements is that they have acquire a degree in the field for a period of between two to four years. The means that they have to have attained a LPI score of above 7. At the same time, most of the POs are required to have a driving license. This is relative to the fact that, they have to constantly travel to the offenders’ location and assess their progress from where they are stationed. In most of the cases the officers are also requited to take courses in relationship violence, be enrolled with sex offenders’ maintenance program and female offenders’ courses. These are some of the basic courses that offer the officers the skills that they need to navigate this dynamic field (Maschi & Schwalbe, 2012).
The probation officers are faced with a myriad of clients from juveniles to adults. At the same time it is crucial to note that, most of the time the officers will deal with clients that have mental health issues or those that have substance abuse histories. As such, these are persons that have unstable temperaments and they have to be handled with care (Umamaheswar, 2012).
On a daily basis, the probation officer is going to be involved in a number of activities among conducting interviews on the offenders. This way they are able to evaluate the progress that the offenders are making in their new environment as they try to reestablish their lives (Maschi & Schwalbe, 2012). They are also involved in the process of administering drug tests including random drug screening processes. This is especially the case where the offenders in question have had a history of drug and substances abuse. They also have to maintain case files on the offenders documenting the progress and making recommendations. In some of the cases they will be required in court for the various cases that are ...