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Police and Parole officer jobs hold a very important responsibility in our states and communities and the individuals can be employed by either the state or local government.
In general, the job of a parole officer may appear less attractive to some due to relatively low earnings, heavy workloads, and high stress. Parole officers are required to meet many court-imposed deadlines, which contribute to their heavy workloads. In addition, they may have extensive travel and fieldwork to meet with offenders who are on parole. In general, dealing with criminals and their families can be dangerous and stressful. However, if you have a passion for this field, and you are a hard-worker who can handle high-stress situations, job opportunities are expected to be excellent. Parole officers may be one of the most rewarding and best criminal justice careers available. This job, when performed effectively can be very rewarding when helping offenders to change their lives.
In 2009, probation officers and correctional treatment specialists held about 103,400 jobs in the country. Generally speaking, jobs are more plentiful in urban or more densely populated areas than in rural ones. However, employment of probation officers and correctional treatment specialists across the board is projected to grow about 19 percent between 2008 and 2018, faster than the average for all occupations.
The reason for this increase in parole officers is due to the fact that because mandatory sentencing guidelines now call for longer sentences and reduced parole for inmates, this has resulted in a large increase in the prison population. However, these mandatory sentencing guidelines are being reconsidered in many areas because of various reasons including: budgetary constraints, court decisions, and doubts about the guidelines’ effectiveness. Instead, many states are focusing on rehabilitation and alternate forms of punishment, such as probation. These decisions will increase demand for probation and parole officers in the near future.
However, it is important to remember that employment growth depends on the amount of government funding that is allocated to corrections. Although supervision is far less expensive than prison, politics may play a role in the decision, which could result in reduced employment opportunities.
Although the obviously challenged of this position can make these jobs very difficult at times, this work also can be very rewarding. Many workers gain loads of personal satisfaction from counseling members of their community and helping them become productive citizens.
