Gender Differences and Probations 

We have notice the increase of female offenders in our prison systems. According to the BJS the United States female offender population was 410,300 individuals and in 1997 the population was 895,300 female offenders (Jespersen 2006). The criminal jusstice system was not exspecting this large percentage increase of female offenders over the next decade and the result of this increase their has been problematic issues of the facilities and treatment avaiable to women. Gender differences are startm=ting to be acknowledged in the criminal justice system on how a female versus a male respond t treatment. The tupe of supportive nevironments for a female versus a male are different in order to have a succesful treatment. Women generally care more about their social dynamic and acceptance into a group, where the male population wants dominances and superiority from a group. The segreagtion of race within the supportive groups has not changed due the relations and similarities in culture and family dynamics. The social factors have a strong direct relationship with social groups in the prison populations, but gender differnces a newly being discussed on what programs should be avaible for either gender and the effectiveness those proograms. 

Gender differences is a topic I wanted to bring up this week due to the interesting pieces we have been discussing about toxic masculinities and how there also might be toxic feminity. How does the social realtion vary from masculinity and feminity? What types of problems do females need to address versus males? How do intersex offenders choose what type of program would be most beneficial to them? 

This was an interesting topic I thought for me to bring up through our discussions the last two weeks about how what we got out of this class. Honestly, this was one of the most significant problems I saw with the relations of toxic masculinity. It made me think more and more about the lack of programs for women. They are victimized more, scutinized for dominance and social control, and the tpes of crime women commit versus men can be statistically examined, which means it woud be difficut for a man to relte to a women's isues of why she committed ceratin crimes. Also through another particular discussion in a Menatal illness class that certain mental illness are more prone to women than men. For example, depression and anxiety mental disorders are more common in females than they are in males (Carlson, 2013). What type of programs are out their that could help females with depression while incarcerated or on probation?
Here is a video: Women Incarceration


This post is supposed to be my last for this quarter an I wanted to make it interesting so please tell me your thoughts to my questions and commet below!
   

Carlson, Neil R. 2013. Foundations of behavioral neuroscience. 9th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Treatment Efficacy for Female Offenders. Jespersen, Ashley BA. Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal. Volume 1 Number 1. 2006.

                                Community Corrections and Male Offender Treatments
                                Here is a link to an explation Sex Offender Treatment

Community interventions and police involvement in our communities has turned to a negative path lately, We all study and learn about police dominance, and community concerns of law enforcemnent, but there hould also be a media coverage on all the things the majorityof the police force is accomplishing. Continuously, we have been discussing about the law enforcement aspects of  community involvement, but lets look at the probation involvement as well. Community Corrections Officers and policy makers work around the clock to ensure our community are safe and the offenders in out communitties stay out of trouble. In the state of Washington there is an ncrease of male sex offender population, which currently takes about 20 percent of our offender popuation.

Sex offenders are people who have committed sexual assault, sexaul harrassment, rape, and sexual abuse. Usually women are the victims of sex crime. sex traffiking, prostitution, and sexual abuse. This puts men a higher percentage of sex offenders than women. Sex offenders have to compllete reatment in and outside of prisons. These programs are essential to prevent recidavism or continuos sex offenses. Those who complete sex treatment are less likely to reoffend although reoffending does occur with those at higher risk levels more frequently.

Programs of treatment for sex offenders must be done through the DOC and superviory teams of the external stakeholder that work with the DOC to endure our communities are safer for everyone. We have to acknowledge that there are always going to be crimial offenders,but if we can pevent recidavism then more treatment programs should be avaiable. Treatment programs for sex offneders give the support groupd they need to discuss their behaviors and learn how to no commit sex offenses. Nw there are those who do not care about sex offenses and they are considered higher levels of reoffending and often spent the rest of life incarerated.

Treatment programs are superised by the probation officers and the treatment provider who work directly with each other. Probation officers have guidelines and onditions for each offender to prevent them from reoffending, but sometimes it is not effective. probaton officer work heavily with many agencies and learn so much information  about  treaments and the complexities of the criminal justice system that often I think that it is important that I think we should make it a requirement for all law enfoement and DOC agencies to have a program to learn about the effectiveness of treatment and how they prevent further crime by knowing what may cause crime.

Schrock, D. P., & Padavic, I. (2007). Negotiating Hegemonic Masculinity in a Batterer Intervention Program. Gender & Society, 21(5), 625-649. doi:10.1177/0891243207304975

                                              Federal Probation Versus State Probation

Federal Probation:

Federal Probation works in the 94 District Courts and is not a union based organization. Federal probation officers deal with federal crimes usually crimes that are across state lines. Federal offenses pertain to murder, assault, child pornography, gang member violence, and rape ect...  Fedral probation is part of the pre-trial sentencing of a conviction and was established in 1987. Supervised release was a way to establish a decrease in mass incarceration, and use a restorative approach to the criminal justice system. Probation allow offenders to receive medical care, mental health treatment, and educational training as resources to be in society. The issue with probation is the costs and financial expenses paid through tax payer money in a billion dollor indusrty to fund, our Department of Justice system has become a complex bilateral process for offenders, State and federal probation use similar tactics and problem solutions to work with offenders but the only difference is the difficulty of maintain a vast area of federal offenders due to the small group of locations where federal courts are located. State probation is community based where federal probation is regionally based, and deters from the population of the area on the location of federal courts. US probation officers must have a greater knowledge, experience and education to work for the fedral government Most federal probation officers are former supervisors of state probation offices. Within probation offices there is a similar settup on who supervises offender based on the type of crime, and this is similar in state and federal probation offices. Some of the types of offenders would be sex offenders, mentally ill, and addicts. Each need specialized treatment and care on what type of probationary supervision they will need. 

Through an interview a Federal probation officer in Tukwilla and discussion with another in the Tacoma fedral courts, fedral probation deals with a complex infastructure of governement that invovles multiple agencies and external stakeholder to ensure public and community safety. The extensive experience required to be a fedreal probation officer mean that you have at least a masters degree and state probation experience. This is a job that expereince is not enough to get some one in the door, the education is a requirement even at the state level to work as a federal probation officer. Through some local research and interview discussion some US probation officer were former lawyers or obtained a law degree to become a US federal probation officer. All fedreal employees must be hiring by the age of 37 years old otherwise a person may not apply. 

Here is a link to the job description: Probation Job

(This is only an example of a US Probation Office, and this institution had no engagement or opinion on this discussion.)

Probation Officers Working with Men

                                                   We Live in a Man's World!

      One of the most isgnificant settings from the criminal justice system is the hegemonic masculine culture that suggests criminal justice is a man's world. The honorable stance or helping others, commander of stressful situations, and the self-esteem boosters when a male probation officer saves the day. The cirmial justice system used to be a man's world, and society looks uo to those who rish thier lives for the greater good. Immagine what it would take for a women to enter this world and not be sexualied and marginalized for not upholding the same exspectations society has for men. There is a journal piece that I thought ws interesting about the issues concerning the significant gap between rhetoic and practice. We discuss how there are changes in the system of less masculine expectations and roles, but the social expectations still exist for men and women now live up to the same expectations individually. Criminal Justice work especially any law enforcement agency will be the most scutinized and objectified in all social settings.

Probations has an unusual perspective of the criminal justice system. The rhetoric of working with treatment providers, and law enforcement agencies gives a different vioce to the criminal justice system as it used every angle of the complex system in one office. This goes withourt saying, probation officers not only have to investigate and form plans for the offenders, but need to understand their gender identiy to formulate the issues of addressing what causes criminal behavior. Masculinity and feminity identities are real issue that need to be put into practice as to why people commit crimes. Working with the external stakeholders such as treatment providers identifying the issues that cause the criminal behaviors can take the rhetoric of what we speak about helping these people and put it into practice. the challenge is the knowledge to learn how to obtain a connection with communication with offenders causes issues do to the stigmatization and recidavism of crime. The lack of resources such as housing and support to stabalize the environments for offenders seems to be only accomplished when imprisoned. Prison is not an enviornment where probation officers can effectively practice restortive tactics to help offender understand their identities and where the root of issues may be caused.

I say we live in a man's world because the act of challenging an offenders identies cause a disruption in the communication of working with offenders. Respect is the greatest damaged misconception for offenders especially gang members who distinguish what the different bewteen how we obtain the issue and what works to resolve this issue. Probations has to use all tools and resources to work with individual who may or may not need help with how their social behaviors causes criminal activity. Punishment is a short term correction, not long but treatment is a lifelong requirement for offenders to push thorugh social exspectations of oppression and recidavism to be back into a legal society. Also, this is a battle for the life of a probation officer do to the nature of work that goes into making the community saferr and helping offenders from harming themselves.

                                 

SCOURFIELD, J. (1998). Probation Officers Working with Men. The British Journal of Social Work,28(4), 581-599. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23714890

                                                                     We Need Women Now Too! 


                                            What do people really think about probation officers?


Walk in their shoes for a day and you will never think the same. Some of the things these officres see in a day is more than you will ever see in your lifetime. Probation officers see the people in our community that n one else wants to deal with. Probation officers keep our communitties safe and help those who are overlooked on a daily basis. Walk in Her Shoes

Law enforcement is a man's world, but with the increase of women incarceration the last thirty years there has been a need to increase in women correctional, probation, and police officers. The criminal justice system was not equipped for the high increase in a few short years of women's increase into the criminal justice system, which challenges the patriarchal position of criminal justice professions.
Law Enforcement careers duties have a masculine stance in our communitye as the heros, the protectors, and the role models. Women are challenging that position, but are still disproportionate to the majority of law enforcement agencies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tulrFzHZXH0

This is an interesting video about a Community Corrections Officers in eastern Washington. Often Community Corrections Officers work codependently and with limited resources for field work and police phone calls. Rural areas create a challenge for probation officers  to due dhome checks and evaluate security measures and making sure offenders are following their conditons. Some of the imitations for several individuals would include office space, locations, public transportation, and hours of driving. This is why the team work between the Community Corrections offices and police are vital in order to protect the communities. The cost for each Community Corrections Officers can be about 50000 to 60000 dollars a year, and must obtain a bachelors degree from a certified higher education school. Community Corrections Officers say that cultureal awarness, life experience, and excellent people skills is often desire when hiring for this particular career.

             Introducing Community Corrections Officers! 

             Community Corrections Officers work for the Department of Corrections at the state level, and are officers of the courts. This means that a Community Corrections Officer primary duty is to serve the verdict by the judge. When an offender comes of of jail for release the offender has 24 hours to check in with thier probation officer, and must sign a contract of rules and laws the offenders are aware of their probation proceedings. Community Corrections Officers wear several different hats in the criminal justice and social work fields for the Department of Corrections. The officers take o many roles while guiding and completing each offender probationary period after jail time. Specifiaclly, the probation officer takes on the roles of finding the individual a job, counselor for school options, treatment organizer, law enforcement, inverstigators, and social workers. 

This is an introduction to the Department of Corrections website on what Community Corrections Officers perform. 

http://www.doc.wa.gov/aboutdoc/communitycorrections.asp