Parole Officer Job Description Example

Parole Officer Job Description Example

What Does a Parole Officer Do?

A parole officer bears the unique responsibility of monitoring newly released criminals. It is his/her duty to help ex-convicts blend into the society. The newly released criminals are often referred to as “parolees”

The parole officer job description entails assisting ex-convicts in integrating back into the society after serving prison term.

He/she assists the released prisoner in securing the right kind of employment and monitors his/her activities to make sure he/she does not return to criminal ways.

The officer schedules meetings with ex-convicts to ascertain how well they are adapting to life outside the prison walls.

He/she maintains close relationship with the families, friends, and acquaintances of parolees to ascertain how his/her behavior has been after serving sentence.

In case the parolee needs therapy, it is the duty of the officer to link him/her up with a psychologist and make sure that he/she keeps to appointments.

The parole officer is mandated by law to keep detailed records of meetings with parolees and observation about their behavior and activities. These records are to be submitted to the judge on periodic basis.

The parole officer’s role also involves making sure that the parolee complies with all conditions of release, else, he/she will report for such release to be withdrawn and the criminal sent back to prison.

Asides monitoring the activities and behavior of the parolee, the officer may equally carry out drug test and other similar test.

It is also part of the parole officer work description to appears as witness at court hearings in circumstances of parole revocation.

The role of a parole officer requires high degree of physical and emotional maturity.

Most correctional facilities and law enforcement agencies require candidates for this position to have attained at least 21 years, whereas, the maximum age requirement is usually 37 years.

Since the job involves frequent communication with people from different backgrounds, and preparing reports based on findings, a parole officer must possess good oral and written communication skills to be effective on the job.

Criminals are often very intelligent. So, this position requires someone who is very smart, and who has the ability to make accurate decisions without being bias or judgmental.

To make his/her work easier, the officer should be able to build and maintain good professional relationship with parolees, co-workers, and people that may be of importance to him/her in the course of discharging their duties.

Parole Officer Job Description Example

The following job description example lists typical tasks, duties, and responsibilities usually performed by parole officers:

• Monitor the activities and behavior of parolees
• Ensure that parolees comply with all conditions of release
• Keep accurate record of the activities, behavior, and progress of parolees
• Assist parolees in integrating back into the society
• Schedule appointments with parolees to ascertain their progress after sentence
• Schedule therapy appointments with psychologists for parolees with disorder
• Interview family members, friends, and acquaintances of parolees to ascertain how well the parolee is faring outside prison walls
• Carry out investigation in the community to gather information relevant to a parolee’s release decision
• Assist parolees in securing employment and keep tab of their performance and progress at work
• Report parolees who do not comply with conditions of release and appear as witness at court hearings in the event of parole revocation
• Work with other law enforcement agencies like the police to access current and past records on a parolee
• Work with other state agencies, acquaintances, and members of the parolee’s immediate community to assist him or her to integrate back quickly into the society.

Parole Officer Resume Preparation

The job experience section of a parole officer resume, which proves to employers that you have performed duties and responsibilities of a parole officer previously, can be created by applying information from the job description sample given above.

The above listed functions can easily enable you to highlight in your resume what you did while working as a parole officer in a previous employment that you held.

Requirements – Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities – for Parole Officer Role

Here are important parole officer skills and qualities usually required from applicants for them to be considered for the job:

• Maturity: To be employed as a parole officer, most correctional facilities and parole agencies require that a candidate attain at least 21 years of age. In addition, he/she must exhibit high level of emotional maturity so as to be able to make objective decisions
• Open-minded: Integrating back into the society after serving jail term is a gradual process. So, a parole officer ought to be an open-minded person. He/she should also be patient and tolerant, not judgmental
• Communication: The role involves frequent interaction with the parolee, co-workers, and persons from various backgrounds. So, the officer should be able to communicate with different caliber of people. A good listening skill is also required. In addition, a parole officer must be good at writing reports
• Education: To be employed as a parole officer, a candidate must hold high school diploma plus a tertiary qualification in sociology, psychology or criminal justice
• He/she must be very smart, observant, and decisive. His/her decision making skill must be outstanding to be able to arrive at reasonable conclusions based on observations and investigations.

Parole Officer Skills for Resume

For the fact that the above attributes are normally employers’ requirements that applicants for the position must meet to qualify to be hired, it therefore means that acquiring and highlighting them in your resume will make it more appealing to employers.

So, if you are making a resume for the role, it will come out better by using the stated qualities in creating its skills section.

Conclusion

The parole officer’s job is vital to helping released crime convicts fit back into the society after serving their prison terms.

Their job description entails a number of duties and responsibilities which you may need to know as an employer or as someone looking to start a career as a parole officer.