Volunteers in Probation

The purpose of the volunteer probation officer's job is to develop a relationship with a probationer and, through it, assist that individual to fulfill the conditions of the probation order, and to develop and maintain a lifestyle that is within the confines of the law.

Authority:

Under the authority of The Correctional Services Act: Part IV; Section 38, a person may be appointed by the Chief Probation Officer as a volunteer probation officer for a specified offender.

Accountability:

The volunteer probation officer receives guidance from the regular probation officer during the appointment.

Case Management Process:

The regular probation officer maintains the legal authority over the probationer and deals with such issues as addressing violations of the conditions of the court order. However, the volunteer probation officer has input into the process of offender supervision and may contribute to any information provided to the court by Community Corrections.

Referral of Clients:

Probation and conditional sentence cases are referred to the volunteer program by their probation officers, and tend to fall into three categories:

• Those who require the closer supervision provided by the volunteers through weekly contact.
• Those who have special needs are matched to volunteers who can help fulfill those needs. One common example is the offender with an alcohol problem. She/he could be matched to a volunteer who is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and who could provide support in related areas.
• Those who have little support from family or friends and require the support of another person.