When one thinks of the term “criminal justice” they often fail to realize what a large system this encompasses. According to one source criminal justice is defined as:
A
generic term for the procedure by which criminal conduct is investigated,
arrests made, evidence gathered, charges brought, defenses raised, trials
conducted, sentences rendered, and punishment carried out.
When we think of the individuals who comprise the criminal
justice system we generally think of police officers, prosecutors, defense
attorneys, and judges. Yet, there are so many other professions that are
involved that fail to get due recognition.
Other components of the criminal justice system include: detention
officers, corrections officers, probation officers, and parole officers.
Lets review some basic information about these officers:
- Detention officers typically work in jails and are responsible for the care and custody of pre-sentenced and sentenced inmates.
- Corrections officer work in prison and are responsible for the care and custody of inmates convicted of a crime.
- Detention officers and corrections officers typically will have training in defensive tactics, OC spray (pepper spray) and verbal de-escalation skills. Generally they are only authorized to carry OC spray on their person. Most of the times they are able to successfully resolve conflict with verbal de-escalation techniques. They do NOT carry a firearm on their person. They may have access to firearms which are secured away from inmates.
- Probation officers supervise offenders who have received a suspended sentence. If the offender fails to comply with their probation terms they may be sentenced to jail or prison. Probation officers may work exclusively with juvenile or adult offenders.
- Parole officers supervise inmates who have been released early from prison prior to the completion of the inmate’s full sentence. Failure to comply with parole terms may result in the inmate being sent back to prison to complete their sentence. Parole officers may work exclusively with juvenile or adult offenders.
- Probation and parole officer job duties and power vary greatly from state to state. Some have powers of arrest while others do not, some conduct field work while others do not, some carry firearms and receive extensive officer safety training while others do not. Unfortunately there is a lack of consistency in what probation and parole officers do. When you think of a police officer you understand that their job duties and functions are pretty consistent regardless of which state they work.
Unfortunately, we rarely hear of the contribution of these
officers unless they do something wrong and the media reports such actions.
Otherwise they tend to be out of sight and out of mind. Why is this the case?
Well, there may be many reasons why we don’t hear of these professionals. But I
believe the biggest reason is that they typically are not in the public
spotlight. For example, we see police officers in the community oftentimes in
their highly visible police vehicles wearing professional looking uniforms. Yes, detention officers and corrections
officers wear uniforms but they work in secure facilities that many members
society rarely see. Again, out of sight; out of mind. Probation officers and
parole officers are generally in the community but rarely wear uniforms that identify
who they are. While they are often out in the community they are dressed like
everyday Joe Citizen and do not stand out. Additionally, many probation and
parole officers use their personal vehicle to make community contacts with
offenders. And those who have “government” vehicles generally do not have any
marking on the vehicle to identify who they are other than maybe a government
“G” license plate.
One very important commonality between police officers,
detention officers, corrections officers, probation officers, and parole
officers is that they all work in a very dangerous environment and put their
lives on the line each day that they work.
This should never be forgotten or diminished by members of the community
or administrators who supervise such officers. Also keep in mind that these
officers generally receive low pay, substandard training, inadequate gear, and
lack of public support because the public fails to understand what they do and
the dangers they face. Budgets are tight
and funding for officer training and equipment is always the first on the
chopping block.
Society has many violent and predatory individuals who roam
the streets preying upon the weak, young, old, and helpless. Once they are
confined behind bars they rarely change their violent ways. Be thankful that we
have men and women willing to put themselves in harm’s way to protect society
from such predators. If there was no
rule of law then chaos would ensue and be rampant in our streets. Violence
would be exponentially perpetrated among the innocent.
Remember, that when these officers go to work there is a
chance that they will not come home!
//TC
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