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A parole officer is required to have an understanding of their paroles and the programs that hey participate in. As the son of a corrections officer I have had many discussions with my father regarding the role of a CO in the lives of the inmates he works with. His response generally consists of an “us vs them” mentality that CO’s have. This mentality is based in the fact that COs spend their days ensuring that the inmates do not participate in the activities that they want to primarily leaving the facility. The role of a Parole Officer is to help the parolee stay out of prison by ensuring participation in treatment programs and adherence to the guidelines of their parole. As a parole officer it is necessary to have an understanding of what a parolee has done in the past and what that possibly means for their future. A parole officer needs to understand chemical addiction, sexually deviant behavior as well as the contributing factors to criminal action. This understanding can only be accomplished with higher education in psychology and social work. This understanding of human services and the factors that may be associated with criminal activity gives a parole officer a better opportunity to perform their duty. A CO on the other hand has no reason to understand the inmates they supervise or the reason for their behavior as it is not their job to treat the offenders it is their job to simply observe them.
The training of a parole officer would depend on the background from which the PO comes from. If the PO comes from an educational background in criminal justice they may have a clear understanding of law but a limited understanding of addiction or other contributing psychological concerns. A PO with a phycology background would been a better understanding of the law and how it applies to their role as a PO.