Juvenile Probation Officer – What It Takes to be One
When a convicted person achieves the criteria for an early release and the parole board has agreed with this, that person is given a parole. When this happens officers are assigned to watch over these prisoners to ensure that they do comply with the parole terms that they were given. These officers are called parole officers, the difference between parole officers and juvenile parole officers is the age of the parolees that they get assigned to.
For those officers who work with parolees who are under the age of 18, they are called juvenile probation officers. They focus on their primary duty which is to keep a close eye and record their client’s actions and report any developments that occur to the judge who handles the case. They always play an important role in the criminal justice system, however, more often than not they are considered as a nuisance by the clients that they are watching over.
It is a surprising fact that many of the people in this field were former juvenile offenders themselves. These people have strong desires to give back to the communities that they once troubled. They have developed within themselves a strong commitment to help these young kids who are struggling with prison time, find a new outlook in their life. This job does have a lot of people in them, who are committed to help these young people see the light. It takes serious dedication and commitment to give people who have committed crimes an opportunity to turn from their evil ways, this is definitely a life changing job.
The usual requirement for this job is a bachelor’s degree. This degree can be on criminal justice, social work or even psychology. The applicants are also required to pass a series of written and physical tests, these most of the time are very dependent on the qualifications requested by the agency.
When you become a juvenile probation officer, you would generally answer or work for the judges in the court system. Constant communication with the judges regarding information gained while monitoring these juveniles is one of the required tasks of a juvenile probation officer. Carrying out drug tests, conducting family member interviews, employers and other people who are in contact with the juvenile offender are tasks that are also included in the duties of a juvenile probation officer.
A juvenile probation officer would usually work as a trainee under a one year probationary period. After the said evaluation period, they may be offered a permanent position depending on their performance.
Though this choice of career is a little far from glamorous, there are still rewarding factors when you become a juvenile probation officer. A juvenile probation officer has a chance to help troubled teens to cope with a stressful life at home, educational problems and even social problems. Being able to help these teens who are in need of the proper understanding of the consequences of their actions could greatly contribute in the building of a better future for the community.
