What are the differences between parole officers and probation officers? Include discussion of the ethical issues that are the same for both professions - identify any issues that may be different.

Parole and Probation Officers

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Parole and Probation Officers

Parole and probation officers provide community supervision rather than jail for their clients . Although both officers have similar job s , the types of clients they supervise and ethical issues for each may differ . In this , we will analyze the role of each officer and compare and contrast ethical dilemmas for each officer

Parole officers supervise people who have been released from jail before the maximum sentence has been served (co .chautauqua .ny .us , 2006 The main role for a

parole officer is law enforcement and helping convicts lead law-abiding lives . Parole officers report directly to Parole Boards . Parole officers develop recommendations and plans for their clients before they are released from jail and arrange for services such as employment , housing , medical care , education , and counseling (calmis .ca .gov , 1998 . When parole violations are alleged officers conduct investigations that include interviews , surveillance and search . All parole officers are required to carry a firearm due to the nature of criminal clients . Parole officers have a usual case-load of around 100 active cases , but often cover larger geographical areas than probation officers (calmis .ca .gov , 1998

Probation officers supervise clients who have been sentenced to a community-based correctional system . Probation is a sentence that is supervised living within a community rather than a sentence to the jail system . Probation officers provide guidance to an offender to more law-abiding behavior . Probation officers are officers of the courts and perform pre-sentence investigations and reports on their clients (calmis .ca .gov , 1998 . Probation officers develop plans to assist their clients back into a free society . Officers also have the responsibility of enforcing court s that include making arrests , perform searches seizing evidence , and arranging for drug testing (calmis .ca .gov , 1998 Some counties require probation officers carry a firearm , but this is not universal . Probation officers tend to carry a much higher case-load than parole officers . Probation officers may have as many as 2 ,000 clients , but tend to work in smaller geographical areas (calmis .ca .gov 1998

The ethical dilemma for many probation officers is the conflicting traditional roles of law enforcement and social work (Clear , 1993 Probation officers serve the dual role of guiding the rehabilitation of their clients and helping clients maintain law-abiding behavior . The problem arises when an officer is forced to choose one role over the other . The idea is for probation officers to be able to serve a dual role in both rehabilitation and punishment . Yet , the reality is that this is difficult for some officers due to the high-stress nature of the job . The question remains about the proper balance between punishment and treatment and how clients should be treated . Heavy caseloads work , and short compromise either of the roles in lieu pressure to perform quick results with their clients

Parole officers tend to not have as much of a role in social work Although they are responsible to help guide clients to social services parole officers are...