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Addressing Probation and Parole Officer Stress, Final Report

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Addressing Probation and Parole Officer Stress, Final Report The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: Addressing Probation and Parole Officer Stress Author(s): Peter Finn ; Sarah Kuck Document No.: 207012 Date Received: November 2003 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Addressing Probation and Parole Officer Stress Final Report November 14, 2003 Prepared for Andrew Goldberg Social Science Analyst Justice Systems Research Division Office of Research and Evaluation National Institute of Justice 810 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20531 Prepared by Peter Finn Sarah Kuck Project Advisors Renee Edel Senior Program Planner Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court 2020 Carnegie Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115 J. Richard Faulkner, Jr. Correctional Program Specialist (retired) National Institute of Corrections 718 Gibbon Street Alexandria VA 22314-4108 Mark Maggio, Ph.D. Branch Chief Federal Judicial Center Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building One Columbus Circle NE Washington DC 20020-8003 Robert Thornton Community Corrections Institute 31615 44th Avenue East Eatonville WA 98328 Kathy Waters President, American Probation and Parole Association, and Division Director Adult Probation Services Superior Court of the State of Arizona Suite 344 1501 West Washington Phoenix AZ 85007-3231 Foreword Supervision of offenders in the community by governmental agencies is just over 100 years old. The profession of probation and parole has seen many changes in the past century, but most of these have occurred in the past two decades. Today, probation and parole—or community corrections, as it is generally referred to—has moved from an offender-focused profession to one that is more involved with the community and public safety. This is not to say that probation and parole professionals are not concerned with treatment and changing human behavior, but they are addressing community needs while addressing the needs of offenders through sound treatment modalities and appropriate supervision in the community. The community corrections profession is at the hub of the entire criminal justice system—in fact, it is the only agency that deals with offenders at every stage of their journey through the criminal justice process. It is the only entity that deals directly with all of the government actors, community members, victims, and families that are part of this overall process. Because of this unique role, parole and probation officers are faced to some degree with every criminal justice system practitioner problem. As a result, they frequently experience a range of different types of stress. However, as this report and other research make clear, most of the stress that probation and parole officers experience is related to the organization, not the work itself. This report presents a balanced view of the difficult work that community corrections professionals do. This work has a human cost that is often manifested in stress for the line officer, supervisor, and administrator. The report points out the symptoms and consequences of stress and documents a variety of structured and promising responses to this stress on the part of probation and parole agencies nationwide that have recognized and given the attention the problem deserves. Reading the report will give probation and parole practitioners a better understanding of the stress their work entails as well as Abt Associates Inc. September 25, 2003 i Foreword provide a number of promising approaches to preventing, reducing, and managing the stress, thereby creating an improved and safer working environment. Sarah V. Hart Director National Institute of Justice Abt Associates Inc. September 25, 2003 ii Foreword Acknowledgements We wish to thank the many individuals who answered our questions about the nature and extent of stress among probation and parole officers. We also thank the staff of the stress programs we studied who provided us with information about the operation of their programs, in particular: Rosalinda Acosta, Nancy Bohl, Rob Bresciani, Bennett Chapman, Renee Edel, Michael Ferriter, James Ham, Michael Nichols, Gary Scicchitano, Joseph Sundram, and Cyndi Walters. Risdon Slate was kind enough to share with us a prepublication copy of his important study of probation officer stress and decision making, with its comprehensive literature review. The following advisory panel members provided helpful guidance to the project by identifying programs to study and individuals to interview, and by commenting on a draft outline and draft of the report: Renee Edel, J. Richard Faulkner, Jr., Mark Maggio, Robert Thornton, and Kathy Waters. However, readers should not infer that the panel member necessarily support all of the programming recommendations offered in this publication. Initially, Amy Mazzocco, and, later, Andrew W. Goldberg, program monitors for the project at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), provided valuable support throughout the project. Cheryl Crawford Watson, Acting Deputy Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation at NIJ, made a number of suggestions for improving the report. Peter Finn Sarah Kuck Abt Associates Inc. Abt Associates Inc. September 25, 2003 iii Acknowledgements Contents Executive Summary............................................................................................1 Why Establish a Stress Program for Probation and Parole Agencies? ......................................1 The Extent and Sources of Probation and Parole Officer Stress ...............................................2 Program Case Studies ................................................................................................................3 Program Staffing and Training ..................................................................................................3 Marketing the Program ..............................................................................................................3 Other Keys to Program Success.................................................................................................4 Chapter 1: Why Establish—or Expand—a Stress Program for Probation and Parole Officers?.........................................................................5 Key Points..................................................................................................................................5 Audience, Purposes, and Content of Addressing Probation and Parole Officer Stress .............6 Why a Stress Program Can Benefit Probation and Parole Administrators................................7 Financial Savings...........................................................................................................7 Improved Staff Performance........................................................................................10 Increased Staff Safety ..................................................................................................10 Increased Community Safety.......................................................................................11 The Importance of Administrators’ Motivations .........................................................11 Chapter 2: The Extent and Sources of Probation and Parole Officer Stress ..... ………………………………………………………………………13 Key Points................................................................................................................................13 Background to Understanding Probation and Parole Officer Stress........................................14 Probation Work............................................................................................................14 Parole Work .................................................................................................................14 Officers’ Responsibilities Vary Widely.......................................................................15 How Much Work-Related Stress Do Probation and Parole Officers Experience?..................17 What Are the Most Common Causes of Stress for Probation and Parole Officers?................17 High Caseloads ............................................................................................................19 Excessive Paperwork ...................................................................................................19 Deadlines......................................................................................................................19 Lack of Time................................................................................................................20 Other, Less Significant, Sources of Stress...................................................................21 Most Stress Comes from the Organization ..................................................................23 Consequences of Stress and Coping Strategies .......................................................................24 The Effects of Stress ....................................................................................................24 Methods of Coping ......................................................................................................26 Abt Associates Inc. September
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