Probation Depatment Essay Research Paper ProbationI chose

Probation Depatment Essay, Research Paper

Probation

I chose to report on the Los Angeles Probation County Department. The Probation department is apart of the corrections branch of Criminal Justice. I sat down and interviewed peace officer Stacey Armstrong. The first important question that I asked was “what is your agencies primary mission?” Officer Armstrong replied, “Our primary mission here in Probation is to promote and improve public safety, guarantee victims’ rights, and assist the positive behavior change of adult and juvenile probationers.”

The probation departments’ most important issue to date is size. There are thousands of correctional workers in L.A. County. There are still not enough officers to keep up with the hundreds of thousands of criminals. The Probation department has many operational programs. The department is always seeking good educated employees to help expand the department.

The next major question was; what is Probation and why is it important in criminal Justice? Officer Armstrong reported probation is a form of criminal action enforced by a court on a criminal, instead of jail, which allows the offender to serve the sentence while not actually being locked away. It is not feasible to imprison all criminals. Probation is cost effective and budget management. The Probation Department assists the different courts not only by helping to identify suitable candidates for probation, but also by recommending appropriate sentences to be placed on them, including time in jail, fines, and community service. The department also helps identify those persons who are not suitable for probation by providing information to the court to justify their removal from the community. Once probation

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is ordered, the Probation Officer designs an appropriate supervision plan for each offender, which guides the offender toward accepting the responsibilities of being a law-abiding citizen. In Los Angeles County, the Probation Department is assigned to operate juvenile halls, which are temporary detention facilities for juveniles from the time of arrest through their court hearings.

I went on to ask Officer Armstrong what is your mission. The mission of the probation department is to advise and implement court ordered sanctions for probationers, including the incarceration of juvenile offenders and the arrest of adult offenders; provide management and monitoring of probationers; prevent and reduce criminal activity by developing and implementing strategies from early intervention through suppression. Proactively seek-out and maximize all opportunities to positively impact the behavior of probationers by providing them with educational and vocational services, and access to health and mental health services that will build upon the strengths and capabilities of probationers, their families, and communities.

Officer Armstrong suggested that the size of the Department was considerably large. Armstrong went on to suggest this was due to the many various programs.

One such program is Community Law Enforcement and Recovery also known as (CLEAR).

The CLEAR program targets the gangs in Los Angeles County in a joint task force effort, utilizing a mobile response team made up of representatives from the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s, District Attorney and Probation Departments. Clear Detention Probation Officers participate in special operations to reduce the level of gang activity in targeted areas. They participate in

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sweeps, searches, seizures, ride-along arresting probationers found to be in violation and initiating violation proceedings with the court. Another program Specialized Warrant Intervention Fugitive Team. (SWIFT)

SWIFT spends the majority of its time working with the Sheriff’s Department and other agencies to locate and arrest kids who have fled from probation. Given the high risk nature of serving warrants. Warrant service is not attempted without police backup. As police are not always available, officers also supervise a small caseload. Supervision is designed to provide gang-suppression through enhanced monitoring of approximately 10-15 probation cases. Another program that I discovered was the School Crime Suppression Program. “The School Crime Suppression Program services referred delinquent minors and/or students on probation that require intensive supervision. SCSP officers are school based on campuses around Los Angeles County, providing probationers with opportunities to succeed in a school environment. Services include: in-person probationer contacts, school attendance monitoring, juvenile and parental referral services, probation violation monitoring and reporting, and program development partnering with schools and/or Community-based organizations to enhance opportunities for minors to reduce school violence.”

How is probation involved in the community? The Probation Department’s Community Outreach Office supports the department’s mission by fostering community partnerships and resources, operating volunteer programs and promoting internal and external communication. We are also there to establish community

Probation

awareness and support the probation department’s mission and goals; organizations, agencies and citizens in organizing, developing, and promoting delinquency

prevention, intervention and suppression services targeted for at risk youth and probationers; improve the departments public image through positive and proactive media relations; and facilitate the effective broadcasting of information important to staff and the community.

It was really easy to set up an interview with the department. I really enjoyed the interview with officer Armstrong. As we read earlier the probation department has a very clear stated mission. Overall the probation department is very dedicated and goal driven on achieving their mission. I have learned a lot in a very short time about the Probation department. The program has several great programs that help control dangerous criminals in a public setting. The probation department also has several programs geared at helping delinquent youth at getting back on track. The swift and the clear programs are just two of the great programs ran by the probation department. There are no weak programs in their department. I am very pleased at how effective Probation programs are. Probation plans on improving the crime rate by eliminating repeat offenders.

There are a lot of great strengths in the probation department. They have a great program that helps the community and the criminal adjust as well. The probation department is a very community based program. The citizens in the community owe a lot to the hard working probation officers.

Lamar Shaw

Criminal Justice 101

Research Paper