Parole Officers

Michael Jacobson

Like probation officers, parole officers must balance two roles: cop and social worker. These roles, often in conflict with each other, are at the heart of what constitutes the job of a parole officer. More so than probation officers, parole agents have a greater law enforcement orientation. Everyone they supervise has already been to prison, and many have been convicted of violent offenses. In 1999, one fourth of everyone on parole supervision had been sentenced to prison for a violent crime, another 33% were drug offenders, and 31% were property offenders (Bureau of Justice Statistics, n.d.). By the end of 2002, there were more than 750,000 people under parole supervision in the United States. During that same year, about 470,000 people were released from prison and placed on parole (Glaze, 2003). In many states, parole supervision is part of the state's Department of Corrections, and in others, it is a ...

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