They get out and go back to doing whatever got them into prison. 8. What kind of work might you have done instead?

I don't really know. I guess that I still want to try to fix the system that keeps men just recycling in and out of prison. This isn't that job. I really think that I do my job well, but the system isn't designed to keep people from reoffending. So I guess, I don't know, maybe a psychologist or something like that. To try to figure out what makes people act the way they do.

9. What advice do you have for someone entering the field?

Wow. That's a big question. I guess that overall I would encourage people to enter the field. it's got a lot of job security and has good benefits, and that's something that students don't necessarily think about when they're just starting off, but those things really do matter as you get older.

And I do find the work rewarding, despite what I just said. It can be frustrating at times. It is frustrating a lot of the time. But then there are guys who are genuinely trying to get their lives in order. And sometimes you're just the person who can help them get back on the right road. That feels great.

10. What makes a good parole agent?

This might sound strange, but I think that the most important quality for a good agent is being organized. I have being 40 and 50 offenders on my list all the time. And they each have different conditions they have to meet. I have to keep track of all of that, and I have to know each one well...

A lot of the guys, they're already trying to run some scam.
11. How do you keep current?

My department is really good about bringing people in to give seminars about topics in the field. We can go to workshops too, although right now that's being cut because of the budget. And I actually learn a lot from other agents. I try to keep up on reading -- journals, and bulletins from the FBI. I have also taken a few psychology classes at the community college here. I get my tuition paid for and I get time off to do that. That's a great deal.

12. What are some of the future trends in the field?

That's really hard to say because how the department is run is affected a lot by politics. When people want to get tough on crime, there are new laws and parole has to be tougher on everyone. When a different group gets voted in, all of the rules change. I don't think that cycle will change.

I guess one thing I think might change -- that I think should change -- is that there is a shift right now toward offering more counseling to parolees. So I'd like to know more about therapy, what works, how I can support it. And how offenders can try to game the system there too.

This California parole agent is actually my brother-in-law.