The fundamental principle with which law and order exist is justice. However, in a world where life is governed by the rule of the jungle, only the strong would survive at the expense of the rest. For animals, the strongest survive while the rest succumb, or are fed on by the stronger ones. Criminal justice is a system that was brought to existence by man as a way to protect the interests of the both weak and the strong in a world where competition increases by day and pareto-optimality in life is no longer the rule. For one to win, one has to loose unlike where people used to hunt and live in strongly integrated communities. Criminal justice can be defined a system that is formed by many agencies, intertwined in their functions, with the main aim of crime control through the imposition of penalties for those who violate the set laws (Mack and Julian, 449). In this light, we are talking of law enforcement agencies, the courts, the correctional institutions, the attorneys as well as the prosecution, which form a great part of the system. My passion has always been in criminal justice, which I shall discuss in this essay.

The criminal justice system remains very broad scope that has very many careers within its boundaries. The criminal justice system is divided into the following categories; the law enforcement, prosecution, defense attorneys, courts and corrections departments (National Center for Victims of Crimes). All this divisions offer career opportunities for all those who are willing to work in the criminal justice system. The law enforcement officers are responsible for presenting all the cases that happen in their designated areas. They include the cops and most of the officers working under the sheriff’s office. In most of the jurisdictions, the officers are required to investigate crimes and gather evidence that aid in the prosecution of then wrongdoers (National Center for Victims of Crimes). For many states, there are different names that are given to different types of police departments hence, it is appropriate to categorize all of them as police and later differentiate them from their capacities and designated functions. In all states, the police may arrest the criminals or the suspects and be required to testify in the event that the case proceeds to prosecution.

The prosecution includes the lawyers who argue from the side of the state, they are the representatives of the state in a court of law (National Center for Victims of Crimes). Their sole role played by the prosecution is to ensure that facts are presented as they are, and that justice is delivered accordingly. The main duty that is performed by the prosecutors is that they review the facts and the evidence that is brought to them by the law enforcement bodies and decide on whether it is sufficient for them to carry it to trial or whether they should drop the charges. They are the people who present the case against the defendant in a court of law and question the witnesses. The decision on whether to negotiate for a plea with the defendant is on their hands (National Center for Victims of Crimes). This is an interesting career. However, the main problem is that one might put an innocent person in jail depending on the level of smartness with which the prosecutor presents the case.

Defense attorneys are another side of the criminal justice system. The main aim of the defense attorneys is to argue their case in favor of the defendant so that the state losses (National Center for Victims of Crimes). This is the most significant person on the probability of whether one is going to jail or not. The state appoints one for the defendant if he/she cannot afford one. Most of the lawyers have their own firms where they work so that clients access them from their firms. This is a good career for people who are interested in the defense of suspects. The delivery of justice strongly depends on these lawyers.

The courts have a primary role off ensuring that justice is served (Sullivan, 4). They are run by judges who sit and listen to the cases presented. They ensure that the law has been followed and that the correct procedure in the delivery of justice has been followed. They also have a mandate to determine whether to release the offender or not. The careers that are presented by the courts include judges, magistrates, clerks and other minor court personnel. The courts are also a major source of employment in the criminal justice and those who work there reap heavily from their expertise. A career in the courts is much related to one in the corrections department in the light that they all aim at rectifying the behavior of the juvenile offender and give him/her a chance to be better.

The Corrections Department is the last division of the criminal justice system. This is an area that forms employment to a large part of the officers working under the criminal justice department (Sullivan, 21). All the prison workers and the juvenile workers fall under this category. There are many opportunities here and require special abilities to enable the offenders to get back to their senses and make up for their mistakes. The ability of a person to call another person to realizing that he/she has been leading a criminal life is a special calling. It requires one to understand the offender personally and understand the underpinning circumstances that contributed to the crime. The corrections department is the most sensitive of all and required that only experts are employed to deal directly with the criminals (Sullivan, 41).

My main interest in the criminal justice system is to become a juvenile probation officer. However, the work is not as easy as one might think. Juvenile probation officers are referred to as the workhorses of the juvenile justice system (Torbet, 1). According to a study that was conducted in the year 1993, findings were that 1.5 Million of the juvenile cases handled by the juvenile courts had contact with a juvenile probation officer at a set point (Torbet, 1). Either the officers were involved with the investigation reports, the detention decisions passed on the juveniles, supervision for the juveniles or processing their release. This means that in all this cases, one way or the other, a juvenile probation officer was involved. According to the same report, in the past, it was common view that the juvenile probation officers were white males aged 30- 49 who earned an estimated annual income of about $20,000-$39000 a year (Torbet, 1). Despite the workload and the low pay, it is within my passion to work with the department and follow my passion.

The most important step to becoming a juvenile probation officer at such a young age is to acquire a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, corrections, psychology, social work or other social sciences. This only qualifies one to meet the minimum requirement. However, it is within my passion to pursue a master’s degree to sharpen my skills for challenges that may come up later in the career. Another major consideration is that of age and experience, which varies from state to state. Proper timing is an important part of the career wait. This is possible by working in a different department and waiting out for a chance to prove your skills when the chance comes (Torbet, 3). Another major way is to volunteer and work in the juvenile residential facilities. This will give one an upper hand into the requirements of the system. It is also important to note that the process is much easier when one acquires an online degree so that one has enough time to allocate on work and school (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). Having worked with kids for a minimum of a year, one is ready to face any challenge. The professional expertise learnt at school is well blended with the real job enabling a person to make optimal use of the lessons learnt to create change in the field and the lives of juveniles.

Some of the duties of a juvenile probation officer include the development of a positive relationship with youth to create an enabling environment for them to share their problems without being compelled to (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). This is by making oneself a positive role model into the lives of the youths. The second function of juvenile probation officer is to provide case management for all those kids who are probation to ensure that their matters are carefully and professionally handled. Another duty of a juvenile officer is maintenance and update of case files for the juveniles (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). This is an important step that ensures that the juvenile justice standards are met, and the progress that juveniles makes is recorded. Due to the vast number of hours that the probation officer spends with the juveniles, it is within the duties of a probation officer to make reports and recommend the treatment of the juvenile offenders. This ensures that the right punishment is given for the right crime and for the right reasons.

The juvenile officer is also required to conduct meetings with the youths and schools to ensure that the offenders comply with the set rules and are able to fit into the society (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). The probation officer is also the person who is supposed to watch over the activities and the progress the offender is making. On this note, he should schedule for drug tests and ensure that the juvenile’s rooms are searched to keep them on track. On this role, the officer is also compelled to ensure that there is compliance to the obligations set by the courts. This includes the juvenile serving in the community service, making court appearances and servicing fines. With this note, the juveniles are better held accountable for their mistakes as they can receive sanctions for probation violations. The probation officers are also supposed to make a constant update to the judicial system on the progress that is being made by the officer’s offenders (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info).

It is also important to note that the juvenile probation officer is a very important person in the system. Unlike all other officers who are involved in the process once in a while, the officer is involved almost through the entire process (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). For those in the law enforcement, they have a duty to arrest the offenders and present them in a court of law. Once the case is made, and a sentence is made, it ceases to be their job to look into the juvenile’s life. The judges and the lawyers too have a duty. However, their duties are only limited during the trial time and once it is out of their hands; they are not at liberty to meddle with the affairs of the juvenile serving a sentence. However, a juvenile probation officer is one of the people who are involved from the first stage to the last. In most instances, from when an offender is arrested and brought into the system to await trial, the officers are compelled to create a report on the juvenile and make a conclusive statement that recommends the punishment for the offender. Once in the court, the juvenile officer offers insights into what method would be most helpful in ensuring that the offender does not repeat the same mistake. Their recommendations are valued by the court due to the officer’s ability to understand juvenile criminal behavior more comprehensively. After a judgment is made, and the sentence passed, the juvenile officer is now in charge of the offender. He/she is the person who watches every step the offender makes by ensuring that the punishment passed is served. Importantly, they are compelled to take their own time and understand the individual offender in order to assist him/her. Follow up is also an important part where, when a juvenile is released the officer ensures that the fines are paid, the conditions of release, among them house arrests are met and that the offender stays of drugs (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). To do this, the officer has to conduct routine checks for any drugs in the rooms of the offenders. Occasional visits to schools to see the progress is also a major step into understanding the juvenile better and gives the officer a chance to listen to the views of the teachers regard the behavior of the juvenile.

In the modern day, the average pay for a juvenile probation officer annually comes to about $48190 (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). However it is important to understand that the specialization that comes with the different fields bring a deeper disparity into what the officers earns. Additionally, the locations, years of experience in the field and age among other factors, also determine how much an officer takes home at the end of the month. In the United States, it is estimated that the jobs for juvenile probation officers are on the increase and will increase with at least 1% by the year 2022 (Juvenile Probation Officer Job Duties and Education Info). It is also important to understand that, in this career, it is possible to make more money as the career progresses and as one furthers his/her education. A vast range of opportunities is presented in this field as people are ever learning and the government very ready to adjust the salaries depending on one’s skill set. The need to sharpen the skills of the officers to reduce the number of criminals and delinquency is an ever-rising need that demands that the government put all necessary resources to deal with the issue.

For most of the states, juvenile probation workers may live just like any other person. Moreover, the job is more like that of a cop therefore; it does not restrict anyone on where you should live. Normal estates are places where the probation officers could live as long as there is access to the probation office. More importantly, the officers live an ordinary life and can take coffee at the local cafe with others and feel as part of the community. In actual sense, their job is more integrated to the people. Due to these interactions, there is an immense chance to interact and work with the parents in shaping the character of the juveniles. On this note, the officer is a friend of the community, as opposed to an enemy. They are more preferred than the cops as they work out a solution with the help of the people to help a kid in the neighborhood. They fight what the parents have found hard to, for example, addictions and petty crime. More than any other profession in the criminal justice system, the parents will prefer to report their children to probation officers and have them deal with the matter.

The county probation offices are where the juvenile officers work. However, they work closely with the courts and the juvenile detentions. The juvenile detentions and the office are close and in other times on the same compound. The job does not involve any form of hot desking. It revolves around the involvement of the juvenile worker in the life of the juveniles by becoming part of them in that, they are supposed to find a confidant in a juvenile officer. On the other hand, the officer is also charged with the responsibility to visit all the juveniles who are placed under his area and ensure that they are adhering to the conditions of the court ruling. The officer must keep them off drugs and make a report to the court recommending on the progress made by the offender. The officers are thus not glued to their seats but are always in motion to ensure that justice is served and that those who have been fined or released adhere to the conditions of the court. Investigations on the deliquescence rate is also a role that is played by the probation officer, he ensures that the offender does not repeat the crime previously charged with or even worse.

In conclusion, the job of a probation officer is a very involving job and requires effort and dedication. To me it is a passion that I desire to follow and more of a calling. The need to make a difference in the lives of people is enough a reason to live. The numerous duties that a probation officer should attend to involve helping the juveniles by shaping their behaviors, helping them to fight addictions, helping them to fit in the society and to own their crimes. Juvenile officers play critical roles, as they facilitate the process of change by requiring the juveniles own their mistakes and make up for them. The career of a juvenile officer is also well paying in the modern days and promises more opportunities in future. Now more than ever, the specialization in the field has been met with good remuneration enabling the officers to acquire more skills. Another good thing about being a juvenile probation officer is that, one can work wherever he/she desires to, and live in his/her place of choice.

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