Probation Officer Exam

Probation Officer Exam 1. The primary function of parole is a. to ensure the safety and security of the community. b. to provide community resources and services to the offender. c. to provide basic supervision of offenders once they are released from prison. d. to assist in locating employment. - Answer A. Maintaining the safety and security of the community is the main function of commu- nity supervision. Choices b, c, and d are all important tasks of a parole officer and are byproducts of choice a. If a parole officer accomplishes these tasks well, then the safety and security of the community is likely 2. A parolee comes to see you, angry that a poten- tial employer refused to hire him because he is on parole. He wants you to do something about it. How should you respond? a. You should tell the offender it isn't your fault; he is the one with a felony conviction. b. You should express empathy for the offender and point him to another job lead. c. You should sympathize with the offender, pick up the phone, and call the business owner who denied employment, telling him that he discriminated. d. You should tell the offender that there are all kinds of people who discriminate and that he has a right to be angry. - Answer B. Choice a may be correct, but it is not an appropriate way to handle this type of situa- tion. Choice c is incorrect because being on parole is not a legal discrimination category. Choice d is also not an appropriate statement for a parole officer to make. 3. You have decided to impose the special condi- tion, "You will not have any contact with small children in your home, at work, or any other location in which you frequent," upon a partic- ular sex offender on your caseload. He argues it is unconstitutional and tells you he is going to sue. What grounds do you have to impose this condition? a. Simply by being the parole officer, you can impose whatever special condition you want for whatever reason. b. The Fourth Amendment provides you with this authority, which has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. c. Parole is discretionary, and conditions may be imposed or modified as long as they are rea- sonable and related to circumstances of the offense and criminal history of the parolee. d. You cannot impose this condition. - 3. Answer C. Maintaining the safety and security of the community is the main function of commu- nity supervision. Choices b, c, and d are all important tasks of a parole officer and are byproducts of choice a. If a parole officer accomplishes these tasks well, then the safety and security of the community is likely. Choice a may be correct, but it is not an appropriate way to handle this type of situa- tion. Choice c is incorrect because being on parole is not a legal discrimination category. Choice d is also not an appropriate statement for a parole officer to make. Parole is a discretionary action and not a right of parolees. Conditions can be modified or added at any time by a parole officer, as long as the condition is reasonable and fits the offender, his or her history, etc. Choice b is incorrect because the Fourth Amendment deals with search and seizure and does not apply in this case. Choice a is incorrect because there must be a rational reason to add to a parolee's supervision conditions. Choice d is simply not true. 4. You decide to start revocation proceedings on a parolee on your caseload. The due process rights afforded to the parolee at this time do NOT include a. a notice of the violations and time of hearing. b. the opportunity to be heard at a hearing and a chance to cross-examine witnesses. c. the right to counsel. d. a written statement by the fact finders of the final decision. - 4. Answer C. Under Morrissey v. Brewer, several due process rights are afforded to parolees who are facing revocation. In addition to at least one revocation hearing, choices a, b, and d must also be afforded to the parolee. Morris- sey did not provide the right to have legal counsel at any of the revocation proceedings, although it is left to the state's discretion to determine the need for counsel. revocation proceedings- begins when a probation officer or other person supervising the sentence, a prosecutor, or a court official develops reason to believe that an individual is not complying with the conditions of the sentence. 5. A parolee, who is in jail waiting to be trans- ported