NORWICH – Saturday marks the end of appreciation week for pre-trial, probation and parole officers across the country and in recognition, the Chenango County Probation Department is spreading word about the impact it has in the local community.
According to Probation Director Karen Osborn, the field of probation has seen big changes in recent years. Whereas the role of the department was once to monitor probationers behavior from the office, it’s now more involved and visible in the community during non-traditional hours to assure community safety.
“We’re not just about punishment. We’re about changing peoples’ mindsets to get them to change their actions,” said Osborn, a 28-year veteran in the field. “This shift should have an impact on recidivism and will also improve positive outcomes for both the community and the offender.”
“Chenango County Probation is working hard to let the community and probationers as well know that Probation has new programs that have been designed to help people change their lives,” Osborn continued. “We have had probation in the county for years, but we haven’t always had such programs that assist them in changing their lives for the better.”
The Probation Department introduced the first of these programs in July, when Probation Officer Jonathan Dunckel, in collaboration with CDO Workforce Employment Counselor Susan Sheldon, began an employment program titled Ready Set Work. The five-week program was created to help probationers learn the skills needed to obtain and retain jobs in the area by working with local employers, including the Raymond Corporation in Greene - which has since hired several probationers upon completion of the program.
In June, Probation rolled out another program called Thinking for a Change. The 12-week program, developed by Osborn and Probation Officer Lorri Race, addresses participants’ thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs which affect their behavior and encourages self-change, social skills and problem solving skills, explained Osborn.
“The goal is that once participants learn to think differently, their behavior will be positively impacted,” she said. “If people have an attitude that it’s OK to steal, then they will keep stealing. But if we can change that attitude, then we can help change the problem.”
In addition, the Probation Department facilitates the Youth Bureau’s Parent Project, a support group and workshop for frustrated parents dealing with stong-willed teenagers.
At present, approximately 350 county residents are under probation supervision. Probation is granted in lieu of county jail or state prison as a consequence for law violations.
“There’s still an incredible need for probation, and there’s always going to be that need,” said Supervising Probation Officer Kristin Snow, citing an increase in drug abuse in the area and a shaky economy as two of the major players that lead to criminal behavior.
“Probation is moving to a place where we try to look at families as a whole and getting families to become families again,” Snow added. “We are not the bad guys. We are here to enforce court orders, yes; but we are also here to see (violators) as people, too, and to work with them the best we can.”