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When a Federal offender has served two-thirds of his or her sentence they are eligible for statutory release. When this happens the offender is released back into the community, but remains under parole supervision. While under parole supervision offenders are monitored and supervised by parole officers, who are employed through the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). Parole officers (POs) are a key part in maintaining public safety, while attempting to reintegrate offenders back into the community. It is their job to assess the offenders behavior and develop programs and treatment options that will address the reasons that led to their criminal activity. POs must supervise and manage a number of cases at the same time by maintaining regular contact with the offenders and constantly assessing the offenders behavior and their potential risk of reoffending. POs have two important (and sometimes conflicting) roles that they must play. The first of these roles is the enforcer. In this role the PO makes sure the offender is following their parole conditions. They can do this by contacting the offenders employer to verify employment, Visit the home of the offender (to confirm residence and enforce curfews), and arranging urinalysis sessions, to make sure the offender isnt abusing any illegal substances. The other role that POs play is similar to a social worker, where they help the offender search for employment, and get them involved in counseling or social programs if needed. For some, balancing these two roles can be very stressful. However,

when an offender makes real progress towards changing their life for the better, the job of a parole officer can be very rewarding. The Victoria Parole Office employs one Area Director, two Parole Officer Supervisors and 10 Parole Officers. This office also employs office support staff, an office administrator, a psychologist, and program facilitators. The Area Director oversees dayto-day operation of a given area, based on the needs of the district, they implement strategies for risk management, and they also manage financial resources for the area. The parole supervisor ensure that appropriate strategies are being implemented by the parole officers and makes sure they are compliant with legislation, regulations and policies. They also provide support and coaching for new parole officers. The duty of a parole officer, as stated above, is to assess and analyze the offender in order to come up with a program suitable for their particular behavior and needs. They must also maintain regular contact with offenders and give them support to become a functioning member of the community. The parole officer also works closely with other organizations such as the John Howard Society, Police, Provincial Corrections, Salvation Army and Pacifica Housing. In order to work in any of these positions a degree, from a recognized university, in psychology, sociology, Criminology or another social science is required. Working as a parole officer can be a challenging and sometimes frustrating job. Parole officers often have many hours of paperwork to fill out every week, while still

having to maintain regular contact with as many as twenty cases. The unpredictability of offenders behavior presents new challenges for POs every day, and makes them have to make big decisions, such as deciding whether or not the offenders release should be suspended or if they should remain in the community with a revised supervision strategy. Although these are very big challenges, the job is not without its rewards, as helping people make a positive change and giving them opportunities they never had before can be a very rewarding experience. In the Victoria Parole Office there is not much room for advancement beyond parole officer. However near the bigger cities of the mainland there is a lot more room for advancement.