Adult Probation Research Paper

Upon discovering that I would be an intern for Travis County Adult Probation, I had expectations on what I would encounter and an idea of what the position would entail. When thinking about individuals who are on probation, people I would soon face, I had an image of what they would be like. I imagined meeting people who displayed certain stereotypical characteristics that are promulgated through society such as baggy clothing, tattoos, and tough attitudes. I imagined uneducated people of low socioeconomic status, and who may have had a difficult upbringing. The media influenced my perception of what adult probation would consist of. I was anxious that I would not have an adequate amount of knowledge to complete the tasks ahead of me as my …show more content…
It could be anyone from a fast food employee to a person earning six figures. Through my education, I have learned that certain populations are faced with societal constraints and have fewer opportunities than others. These groups of people are definitely at higher risk of becoming a part of the criminal justice system and this is very often the case. Though these individuals may be a part of a society that works against them in many ways, it is one the goals of adult probation to help them improve their lives and be successful, contributing citizens. There are several ways in which the agency attempts to achieve this goal and I was fortunate to be a part of an organization that did not provide interns with grunt work but instead with a vast amount of hands-on experiences that I was not exposed to in the classroom. This consisted of shadowing a probation officer, completing office visits with clients, and field visits to clients’ places of employment or …show more content…
The client was doing well but unfortunately, he began to go through a divorce which caused the client to relapse. I had learned about situations of this nature occurring in hypothetical classroom situations but to see this unraveling in front of me was eye opening. I was able to assess the situation easier with my academic background knowing the effects that alcohol can have on the brain such as it being addictive, a depressant, and that the behavior of someone who is under the influence is greatly