The Author: Life As A Correctional Probation Senior Officer

I was hired on with the Florida Department of Corrections on March 4, 2022. My first “big girl” job. It was a huge change from what I was used to. I had been working in restaurants and retail stores up until that point. But before I could become a Correctional Probation Senior Officer, there were a few checkpoints I had to meet first.

Dorm at Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy

I had to go to the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy (run by Tallahassee Community College) and I had to pass not only the exams TCC administered, but I also had to pass the State Officer Certification Exam (SOCE).

My Office as a Correctional Probation Officer

After I passed the SOCE, I became a certified Probation Officer. I had to undergo New Recruit Training (NRT) once I got back to my office. And once I completed NRT and actually received my certification I was able to start seeing a caseload. I saw cases in the office, at home, and at any employments. I conducted drug tests. I typed reports and submitted them to the courts. And I waited a whole year (known as “probationary period”) until I could interview for the Probation Senior Officer position. And I got it.

I really wanted a community control (aka. CC; house arrest) caseload, which is a specialized caseload. But instead I got a drug offender probation (aka. DOP) caseload. DOP is supposed to be a specialized caseload, however, there aren’t enough people on DOP for it to be specialized. I got stuck with the original caseload I had.

My original caseload wasn’t really an issue, but the number of people I had on my caseload was starting to overwhelm me—particularly because I was pregnant and has 100 other things on my mind. My DOP position was kind of a “catch all position.” meaning that I could gain any type of case because I was a Probation Senior Officer. I could also see any type of case in the office, if their officer wasn’t at work that day. Luckily, I had a supervisor who was extremely helpful, kind, and caring (shout-out to you, Ms. Crystal <3).

You see, the thing that most people don’t understand, is that people who are on probation are just normal people who have made a (or several) bad mistakes. I don’t carry a firearm and I usually don’t wear my bullet-proof vest when I go out. And a lot of people think I’m dumb for that. And maybe I am. But, like I said, people on probation are just normal people. All they want is to be treated with kindness and respect. So (of course) that’s what I do. And they treat me with kindness and respect as well. When I inherited my caseload, I got a lot of complaints from my probationers about their previous probation officer. They told me how I was much nicer and more helpful to them than their previous officer. And that made me sad. Why is there any reason to kick someone while they’re already down? I also noticed that a lot of people who were successfully completing probation would thank me at their last office visit. They would thank me for being kind, helpful, respectful, and compassionate.

That’s really what it’s about. My goal isn’t to send people to jail or prison. My goal is to help these people successfully complete probation so they can go back to living their lives without any worries.