Probation and Parole are two closely related yet distinct programs in which people serve their sentences in the community rather than in jail or prison. In both systems, a convict is supervised by parole or probation officers. Probationers and parolees generally have to abide by certain conditions and pay fees for the privilege of not being incarcerated until they are released. Violations of those conditions can result in a return to jail or prison for the remainder of their sentence.

Probation and parole officers serve a variety of roles. They are part cop, part social worker, and part collection agent. Their goal is to help the probationer or parolee reform, reform their lives so that they don't reoffend. They aid them in finding work, entering drug and alcohol addiction problems, and help them restart their lives. However, if the probationer or parolee doesn't reform, it's the job of the officer to protect society by arresting the offender.

Parole

Parolees are convicted felons who are released from prison to serve out the remainder of their sentence at home. The parole officer faces a challenge in that all of their clients are convicted felons released from prison. They must help the parolee find a home and a job and deal with addiction issues. If they can accomplish these goals, they're likely to be successful. They're helped by the fact that they have a smaller caseload than probation officers. Generally, they will have less than 50 parolees as opposed to probation officers who may have hundreds of probationers.

Probation

Probation can vary wildly. In traffic court, probation may be imposed to give a violator time to pay off their fines. In some cases, they may be dealing with dangerous felons who have completed a sentence that combined prison and probation. They also suffer from having huge caseloads.

Private companies have started taking over probation duties in many places throughout the United States. They will contract with courts to supervise probationers. Most of their job is to ensure that probationers pay their fines, but they also make sure that probationers fulfill the court mandated parts of their sentences such as drug and alcohol programs.

Conditions

Part of being on probation and parole is that the probationer or the parolee has to give up some liberties. Some conditions are fairly standard. Others are customized based on the offender, the offenders, crime, and the offender's history. Some common conditions include:

• Waive all 4th Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure
• Pay fines, restitution and supervision fees
• Do not violate and law
• Do not use alcohol or illegal drugs or associate with those who do
• Do not contact the victim or people like your victim
• Do not drive
• Do not go to a certain geographic area (Banishment)
• Attend Alcoholics Anonymous or other counseling
• Whatever else the judge can think of to prevent the offender from having further problems

Conditions on If some of these conditions seem extreme, remember that the alternative is to serve time in jail or prison. Being on probation or parole is a privilege.

Probation and parole serves a valuable purpose in society. Probation officers allow people who have committed minor crimes to serve their sentence without using up costly space in jail. Parole officers help felons reintegrate into society. They cost much less than incarceration, while still providing some structure. In many cases, the programs are self-supporting. However, with tight budgets, it's sometimes hard to justify more money for criminals, and probation and parole can be understaffed and over worked.