What safety risks did Megan have to consider in working with Robert? What were the personal risks for her? What were the risks to society?

Question

While working as a probation officer for the U.S. District Courts, Megan Romanowski, BSW, was given the task of supervising parolee Robert Sanchez. Robert adjusted well to the community setting—he had a stable job and living situation—and even developed a good working relationship with Megan. But when Robert was involved in another robbery, Megan was forced to make a decision about what to recommend to the judge regarding his sentence.

Answer 1

Megan faced the importance of worker safety in her previous position as a child protection worker. She also faced potentially dangerous situations in her position as a probation officer. In this position, Megan was frequently in the community, visiting with parolees. For example, Megan encountered a threat to her personal safety while working with Adam, a new client and a convicted murderer and sex offender. He had finished his prison sentence and was serving five years of supervised release. When Megan was making a routine visit to Adam in his home, Adam threatened her physically, and Megan was forced to respond. This situation was somewhat of a “reality check” for Megan about the importance of her personal safety. After this incident, Megan made the decision to return to Adam’s house only when a uniformed police officer was accompanying her.
Megan also had to consider issues of societal safety when making recommendations, for example, about a client’s violation of probation. In her job description as a federal officer in the supervised release unit, Megan was responsible for conducting investigations and evaluations concerning alleged probation; supervising release and/or parole violators; preparing reports for the court with recommendations for offenders who violated conditions of release; conducting preliminary interview hearings on alleged parole violators; supervising persons on probation, parole, and supervised release; maintaining personal contacts with offenders through telephone conversations and office and community visits; referring offenders to outside agencies such as medical and drug treatment facilities, employment, and community resources; implementing supervision plans; providing individual and group counseling; and evaluating progress toward supervision objectives.