Ethical Issues in the Field of Probation

Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to discuss some of the important ethical issues confronting the field of probation. Special attention is focussed on the potential conflicts that arise from the two major roles that traditionally are assigned to probation officers: that of helping agent, and that of enforcer of legal conditions. Other ethical problems arise from the pressures placed on the probation officer as a result of the organizational structure of a given department and the level of government in which it is located. Those located on the national level must deal with ethical issues that differ from those on the state level, which in turn are different from those found on the local levels.

In addition, the influence of contemporary conditions on daily decisions made by probation officers raise important ethical considerations. Such factors as lack of adequate resources in a period of recession, the increased incidence of violent offenders in the population of probationers, and caseloads that prohibit adequate supervision all serve to create conditions that place the probation officer in a position where the decisions that are made have serious ethical implications. These factors are discussed in the context of right to treatment or adequate supervision.

The use of the probation officer's role in community control programs is also viewed in terms of ethical issues. As new programs are developed to cope with ever-expanding prison populations, new and different ethical considerations will have to be dealt with in the field.