Probation Officers Perception of the Work
The paper discusses the peculiarities of probation officers work and their attitude towards performing their professional functions. The problem investigated in the study is the impact of work on probation officers. The study is descriptive, and its design is non-experimental. The research methodology is a review of the literature. The review covers such aspects of the problem as the benefits and limitations of probation at a method of punishment, the tools used by probation officers, their attitude to work, and its impact on them.
Data was collected through a survey. The sample group is twenty probation professionals from local offices. The survey includes ten questions related to professional skills and feelings. The analysis of data indicates that the number of years in the office and the complexity of cases influence officers attitudes to work and their level of burnout. The limitations of the study include small sample size and insufficient validity.
Problem Statement
The problem analyzed in the current paper is the impact of probation on the work of the officers engaged in this system. It is expected that with the help of the survey, it will be possible to analyze in what ways work in the sphere of probation influences officers. Both positive and negative manifestations will be investigated.
The problem is rather crucial because there is much evidence of the detrimental effect of work in the probation system on officers. Thus, it is necessary to analyze the causes of such impact and find the possible solutions that would mitigate the negative effects. Once the issue is resolved, it will become easier to find the most that would improve the offenders conduct and change their disposition towards criminal activity. Also, finding the resolution to the problem will make the work of probation officers simpler by enabling them to minimize the presence of negative factors in their .
Methodology and Design of Research
The study has a descriptive nature. This type of research makes it possible to provide a comprehensive picture of the investigated issue. At the core of descriptive research, there is a need to explain some phenomena most accurately. The result of such research is the representation of the problem or an answer to research questions. In the current paper, the focus is on probation and probation officers perceptions of their work. Therefore, it is necessary to concentrate the attention on finding out how officers treat their professional duties and why they treat them in particular ways. Descriptive research does not pay much attention to the exploration of some issues or the explanation of them. Rather, it depicts the general tendencies of concepts and on the problems background.
The design of the research is non-experimental. The participants are not divided into groups and are not assigned any tasks the outcomes of which might be used to draw some conclusions. Rather, they are required to answer the questions of a survey the results of which will be further interpreted and analyzed. The choice of design may be considered weak in respect to finding the cause and effect relationship. However, it is simple enough to perform and provides the opportunity to ask for peoples opinions, which is one of the most usual methods of social research.
The research methodology is a literature review. The detailed analysis of scholarly peer-reviewed articles focused on probation and its various aspects are performed. With the help of the literature review, it is possible to identify the most crucial issues associated with the process of probation, the tools employed by the probation officers, the benefits and limitations of probation as a method of punishment, and the impact of probation on the offenders and officers.
