U.S PROBATION OFFICER

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US Probation officer Running Head : US Probation officer

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The idea of probation originated from a Bostonian shoemaker named John Augustus in the mid nineteenth century . He persuaded judges to suspend punishment of guilty criminals . In exchange the offenders promised to reform their conduct . They were given a trial period to do so . As the nineteenth century drew to a close the US justice system saw a need to try minors separately from adults . The system did not want to impose the

br same strict sanctions on young offenders as those meted out to adults The keepers of the law were of the opinion that youthful lawbreakers were in dire need of a guiding hand rather than punishment in to reform their behavior . The current juvenile court system arose from this separation adult and youth delinquents courts . The juvenile court adopted a guiding principle - the welfare of the child must be safeguarded in all cases and supersedes any other interests . This does not mean that there was no attempt to correct the minor . The difference was that the juvenile courts favored community based penalties . This is still the criteria by which all courts for minors pass judgments Massachusetts had probation officers in adult courts in the nineteenth century . The juvenile courts in Chicago though , were among the first to work hand in hand probation officers . The success of probation officers in juvenile courts encouraged their usage in adult courts as well (Canton Hancock , 2007 ,

. 232-233

This will explain the functions of probation officers their skills training and education they undergo their daily routine and challenges that they face

Probation officers work at different levels of government : federal state , municipal , or county while others are to courts . They work routinely with judges , other court professionals , attorneys , police force , prison services , health workers , community and religious leaders Their objectives are to : investigate and oversee the progress of lawbreakers who have been let off on probation or parole and are serving community sentences under varied conditions . Probation services are integral to the criminal justice system . Officers regularly employ electronic monitoring techniques and drug testing to engender offender compliance . Some of these officers undergo firearm training and are licensed to carry weapons . They can keep the peace or even arrest wrongdoers . They essential act as advisors to the court : by following up closely on probationers assessing risks that these offenders may pose to society where necessary thwart any attempts by parolees and probationers to harm the public or themselves and if these measures fail find further correctional treatment for the offenders (Warner Sweatman , 2001 ,

. 215

The roles of probation officers can be grouped into two : pre-sentencing and post sentencing

Pre-sentencing functions involve conducting of thorough investigations into the criminal and the crime . In other words , the court s the probation officer to find out the context of the crime , the background and personality of the offender . The methodology of gathering this vital information is a...