Many are afraid of people who have broken the law, but often don't know that the probation service deals with around 16,000 people who have broken the law every year. These people, probation clients, are in the society next to us - they work, study, live in our neighborhood, some are our family members and we don't even know that someone has been punished and for what.. They have not always committed crimes since their birth.
Crime has been a separate fact in their lives and there have been other aspects of life in addition to it. The main task of the probation specialist of the State Probation Service is not to repeatedly try to punish these people, but to try to go deeper and understand what has happened and why they have met. It is important to look for solutions on how to help these people so that a criminal offense is not committed again. Working with a probation client means helping to gain confidence that change is possible and they can do it. On the other hand, this can only be done if the employee themselves has a broad vision and has something to show and give.
Employees of the State Probation Service have a wide variety of knowledge and education. These are people with a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, as well as a doctor's degree, who have studied law, social work, pedagogy, psychology, entrepreneurship, public relations, IT and other educational programs. Regardless of the level of education and the program studied, a probation officer must also possess other qualities not related to education. This person must be open and emotionally intelligent, and must be able to respond flexibly to different people, their knowledge, interest, temperament and nature in general. In order to be able to do this fully committed, the employee must have the desire to go deeper and look for solutions, to learn, as well as to think critically, because everything cannot be accepted as it may appear at first glance.
What work in the field of penal enforcement as a professional provides is a constant opportunity to grow and develop - the State Probation Service gives an employee the opportunity to improve both as a professional and as a person, expanding his horizons, because he has the opportunity to study, attend various conferences, participate in international projects, welcome foreign cooperation partners, practice languages and develop many other competencies. One must be purposeful and able to see all internal and external resources provided by the State Probation Service, colleagues, cooperation partners and also the probation clients themselves.
There are so many different ways a probation officer can help probation clients. They become not only control and support persons, but also mentors who can be consulted and who are ready to lend a helping hand at any time.
During supervision, the responsibilities of a probation officer includes determining duties and monitoring their execution. Together with the probation client, a monitoring plan is drawn up and achievable goals are set. The goals of the supervision plan are different for each probation client. Someone needs to go to a narcologist to solve their criminogenic problems, someone needs to attend probation programs, some probation client needs help to write a CV, get a job, draw up a plan to solve their debts, get a driver's license and many other practical things that the probation client has not been able to arrange on their own. during life.
Another form of punishment is community service. Community service is a criminal punishment served in society, which a person serves during free time from studies or basic work in the area of his residence, performing socially useful work without compensation. Probation specialists carefully select an employer and pay attention to the employment of probation clients according to their profession, education and skills. Therefore, the range of completed works is wide and versatile.
Another important area promoted and developed by the State Probation Service is reconciliation. Settlement – it is an opportunity for the offender and the victim to reconcile at the State Probation Service, at all stages of the criminal process, thus often reaching a compromise, as a result of which the criminal process may be terminated. For example, if a person has harmed someone, then the State Probation Service is a safe environment where, after the voluntary consent of both parties, you can come to talk about what happened with the help of a professional mediator and reconcile, if it is possible.
For the most part, the clients themselves also appreciate the work and contribution made by the probation specialists. As a result of cooperation, many give up addictions, find a good job, start new hobbies, make friends with people from whom they can take a good example, fix family relationships and do many other things that help them become full members of society.
Employees of the State Probation Service are those who have the opportunity to make society safer, smarter and better - to make it exactly the way we want to see it!
Learn more: https://youtu.be/Sy-7xS9w9N4
About the authors:
Krista Skara is the head of the Department of Probation Programs of the State Probation Service, who has been working in the execution of sentences since 2011. Krista started working at the Cēsi Correctional Institution for minors, then worked in the State Probation Service project (State Probation Service project No. LV08/1 "Promoting alternatives to deprivation of liberty (including a possible pilot project for electronic monitoring)) and then became a specialist in the Probation Program Department of the State Probation Service, which he has been leading for several years now.
Krista oversees the probation program area, which consists of nine correctional and two rehabilitation programs – program development, licensing, analysis and policy implementation, as well as staff education for their implementation. Probation programs consist of group classes where probation specialists work with clients, improving their thinking, life skills and knowledge. This work is closely related to Krista's education as a clinical psychologist, because it is clinical psychology that provides a very good understanding of human functioning and what can go wrong, why and what are the consequences of certain decisions in a person's life.
Ivars Ozoliņš is the leading probation specialist of the Zemgale regional territorial unit of the State Probation Service, Jelgava Division 2 - head of the department. Ivars has also been working in the execution of sentences for more than 10 years. Ivars started working in the Jelgava territorial unit of the State Probation Service as a probation specialist, but now for three years he is the leading probation specialist of Jelgava Division 2 - head of the department. In fact, the average seniority of employees working in the State Probation Service is about 10 years.
Ivars heads the Jelgava department of the territorial unit of the Zemgale region of the State Probation Service, which works with probation clients whose actual place of residence is in Jelgava and Jelgava district. His responsibilities include working with probation clients in several capacities - community service, supervision, as well as social behavior correction and rehabilitation programs. In addition to working with clients, Ivars heads the department, which means working with personnel and organizing the work of the structural unit. Ivars is especially happy and grateful for life's opportunities and twists and turns that led to his work at the State Probation Service and opened up the opportunity to help probation clients find solutions to get out of financial obligations, as Ivars' education is related to economics.
