Are you irritated or mad to see all those young kids committing crimes not to be jailed? Are you wondering where they are brought after they are caught by authorities? If your answer to one or all of these questions is yes, then it is the time for you to have knowledge about the person that has the authority to catch these minors. Yes, they are not going to jail. But they are going on probation. Do you want to catch these unlawful minors yourself? Then you may consider being a juvenile probation officer.
Interested? Let us get down to business.
What is a Juvenile Probation Officer?
A juvenile probation is someone in authority that monitors and evaluates a minor criminal. It means that a juvenile probation officer deals with law offenders that are not yet at an age where they can be jailed, thus they are under probation.
Duties of a Juvenile Probation Officer
- A juvenile probation officer has many duties. One of these is to ensure that the offender will comply to what will be agreed. If the offender is a student, the juvenile probation officer will be meeting up his or her family, guidance counselor and teachers to settle things. If not, the officer will just meet up with the family, especially the parents.
- The juvenile probation officer also stays in contact with other authorities to ensure that the offender is complies the requirements to be removed from the probation. These requirements might include community service, court appearances and others.
- If the offender needs to be rehabilitated, the juvenile probation officer must refer to appropriate sources for the offender’s rehabilitation.
- It is also important that the juvenile probation officer works as a model to the offenders. He or she should be righteous in order to have the credit to correct the offender’s mistakes. It is awful if the officer corrects an offender and yet he does the same things or unlawful things himself.
- Juvenile probation officers must create a positive relationship with the offender. He or she should support him in order to encourage him to change and behave properly.
- Juvenile probation officers also have the duty to update files in the case. They create their daily or weekly reports regarding offenders at hand and pass them for evaluation in case the probation should be revoked or released.
- When needed, juvenile probation officers also testify in court.
Work Condition of a Juvenile Probation Officer
- A juvenile probation officer does not really stay in his or her office for too long. He or she usually works in the field. They catch law offenders and evaluate them. They drive or go to the offender’s family and parents to talk about the probation.
- A juvenile probation officer’s work require physically and mentally fitness in order for the officer to handle situations especially if it is an emotional one.
Educational Requirements of a Juvenile Probation Officer
- If one is aspiring to become a juvenile probation officer, he or she should bear a bachelor’s degree in any of these fields: Criminology, Sociology, Psychology or any related field.
- Employers however, prefer candidates with training or experience before hiring them.
Occupation and Progress of a Juvenile Probation Officer
Juvenile probation officers work at departments. They collaborate with other departments like the police so as to maximize their links for easier catching of the minor offenders. Sometimes, police officers catch a law offender and when they found out that it is a minor, they turn it over to probation officers.
Since the number of crimes is developing and the number of minor offenders involved is increasing, the employment outlook for this job is expected to rise over the years. So, what’s holding you back to start your journey to success by choosing this amazing career?