As a probation officer, I have to believe that people can change (Ireland)

Read the original article source of this excerpt.

The Guardian on 10/9/15 by Lesley Bell

Part of the “A day in the life of…” series.

Role

leslieI am one of 11 probation officers based in the Belfast intensive supervision unit, supervising people convicted of violent or sexual offences. Most are on licence following release from prison – they are still serving a sentence but can live in the community. I develop risk management plans for how each person can be managed in the community to prevent them from reoffending.

I work with people who have offended, as well as liaising with other professionals and the police, prisons and social services. Sharing information with others is critical. Protecting the public and making communities safer is our first priority.

How I got where I am

I knew from the age of 16 that I wanted to be a probation officer, when in the summer holidays I spent time volunteering and came into contact with a prisoner’s family. In the early 1980s in Northern Ireland, probation officers started as trainees and they worked for a year while also training in social work. I began a degree in psychology, but a year in the goal posts changed, and a social work qualification was required before becoming a probation officer.

I revised my plans and after graduating in psychology spent two further years studying social work. Once I qualified, the probation board for Northern Ireland didn’t recruit for another number of years. I worked as a residential social worker with young people until 10 years later, when I finally became a probation officer. Social work definitely prepared me for my current job, as I understand what it’s like when people’s lives haven’t gone according to plan.

A typical day

There is a lot of variety and autonomy in my work. There’s the planned aspect of working with people who have been convicted in a court of law, preparing assessments and court reports, then working with those who have gone through the court process, spent time in custody and are subject to licence conditions on release. Communication is essential in my job. People subject to licences or orders need to know what is expected of them and what they can expect from me in helping them to change their lives.

Home visits are an important part of working with people who have offended. Sometimes I am accompanied by a police officer, particularly when dealing with individuals at a high risk of reoffending. This has been helpful to me when supervising sexual and violent offending cases.

Over the years I have worked with people who have committed serious offences. Some don’t show any empathy towards their victims, but others fully understand and are deeply affected by what they have done. I worked with one young man who had been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. He was deeply affected by the harm and trauma he had caused to the victim’s family. He also felt that he had completely ruined his own and his family’s life. Part of my challenge was helping him come to terms with what he had done. This aspect of probation work is generally not seen. In working with him I had to look at the factors contributing to his offending, and in particular his home circumstances. I worked with him and his family to help him turn his life around.