Criminal Justice Administration: Parole and Probation Officers Scenario You are the administrator of the county probation/parole department and it's the time of the year when you need to evaluate the officers. There are two officers of special concern. The first one is a veteran who has been following all the procedures and protocols. However, he has not been showing good results; a high percentage of the probationers he supervises have violated their probation and they have been incarcerated. The second officer is a new recruit, and is due for his 90-day review. He has not followed proper procedures; however, he has shown good results.

• How would you, as administrator, handle the evaluations of these employees? Which is more important -- getting results or following procedures?

• For probation and parole officers, what specific characteristics of the job are motivational factors and why?

• What aspects of the position may lead to burnout? What can managers do to minimize the impact of factors that can contribute to job dissatisfaction and burnout?

• How does the subject of motivation and morale relate to supervision and evaluation? Are these concepts connected in any way?

While in the short run, getting better results vs. following protocol and...

In the case of the veteran officer with a poor track record, this may possibly be due to the character of the persons he is exercising oversight over, rather than a direct fault of his own. Regardless, this demands future investigation. In the case of the new officer who has been ignoring proper procedures, he might have gotten 'lucky' with good results, but once there is a serious breach of security, the department could be open to liability.
For the veteran, discerning what is the problem -- why recidivism rates have been going up -- are essential. Is it because of his actions and personal demeanor or is it because of the changing demographics of the prison population that current procedures are not adequately addressing? In the case of the new recruit who is getting good results, he must be sternly informed of the need to follow protocol. Although his willingness to ignore rules might not have 'caught up' with him yet, there is a very serious risk that it might in the future.

While pay and promotion are natural extrinsic motivators of most individuals, parole and probation officers are also likely to be naturally motivated by…