A Career In The Juvenile Probation Field Edna Powers English Composition II Cassandra Smith August 10, 2009 A Career in the Juvenile Probation Field Like many careers a career in the Juvenile Probation Field can be very rewarding and also extremely difficult. After all, they do work with troubled teens. They constantly battle with teenager’s weather it is trying to get them to stay out of trouble by not going to school, using drugs, stealing or gang involvement.
Some teens, after they have been in trouble, head toward a straight path and some end up in the same Juvenile Probation Officers hands.Protecting the community is a main role of a probation officer. They must routinely call the juveniles home, school, and work to make sure they are doing as they are supposed to. The job of a probation officer is “in the field,” not behind the desk. Juvenile Probation officers are often not recognized enough for their hard work and dedication to the community. They practically have to monitor these kids as if they were their own by making them curfews, unannounced visits, ensuring school attendance, and involving youth in after school activities.
Probation Officers can only do so much to help,” as (Sanchez, M. June 4, 2008) stated. This statement is very true. Teens quite often after getting in trouble say they are going to straiten up but sadly a lot of them do not. They just end up back on probation and this is very frustrating for the Juveniles Probation Officer.
There are some teens that straighten up, for this reason it makes a Juvenile Probation Officers job very rewarding. Not only does this make it rewarding for the probation officer but for the juvenile, the juvenile’s parents, and the community.Probation Officers should feel a great sense of accomplishment, just knowing that they played an important role in; changing many people’s lives for the better. Being a juvenile probation officer is not just a job where you sit in an office all day. It is much more exciting than that. For instance, they have to keep up with the juveniles as if the kids were there own.
It is sometimes frustrating and the kids refuse to accept them as there boss but that is practically what they are. The juveniles most of the time, but not all of the time, have lived a ard life without attention and kind of like getting the attention they get by getting in trouble. Juvenile probation officers play a huge roll in today’s society in more ways than one. According to (Kelley, L.
, August 20, 2008) juvenile probation officers act as a go-between for an underage offender and the criminal justice system. This is quite true; it is there main goal to make sure that the juvenile is not incarcerated and that no further crimes are committed. They have to actually work with the family and kind of come up with a good system for each offender.The first thing a juvenile probation officer does when they begin their shift is to look over their caseload for the day.
They may have to appear in court to speak on the behalf of an offender under their care or to advise the court on how to proceed with trying a new offender who has not yet been sentenced. They then update all the case histories of young offenders under their care, calling the family and meeting with school guidance counselors to ensure the child is going to school and behaving.An important part of the job entails meeting with the offenders and interviewing them, listening sympathetically to their problems and complaints, as well as recognizing behaviors that could result in further legal problems and working prevent them before they happen. In most states, it is required that a juvenile probation officer have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, social work, psychology or similar fields.
Typically one must also be over twenty one years of age and have a clean criminal record.Computer skills, writing skills and the ability to communicate oneself clearly and effectively are an absolute must. It is also imperative that one be capable of being sympathetic with the offenders without becoming emotionally involved. While it is not necessary, it is often considered beneficial to work for six months to a year in a juvenile detention center to get used to being around juvenile offenders and to gain experience in this field of work.
As stated above, one should be involved in detention facilities before applying to be an actual probation officer. Walker, K. October, 30 2008) states that probation officers for juvenile facilities are in the unique position of providing guidance to troubled youths before they reach the adult criminal justice system. Probation officers for juvenile facilities supervise minors in custody, maintain security and safety procedures, supervise recreational activities, and instruct and encourage good manners and proper attitude.
In conclusion, Juvenile Probation officers do see the ups and downs of troubled teens.They deserve more respect for their hard work and dedication for the community and making the world a better place. They go through a hard process just to help out kids. They aren’t recognized enough and should be honored for their dedication. They have to go through such a long process just to get into a probation facility for juveniles they deserve their job after working so hard for it.
References Five steps to becoming a Probation officer (copyright, 2003-2009) Juvenile Probation Officer: Career profile, job outlook, and training requirements.
