Community Services
There are three regional offices (each representing
a county):
Each
regional office overseas the probation offices within its domain.
REGION 1 – SURREY
Probation Offices
1.
Corporate
Area (Family Court)
2.
Corporate
Area (Community Services)
3.
Corporate
Area (Institution)
4.
St. Thomas Probation
5.
Portland Probation
6.
St. Mary
Probation
REGION 2 – MIDDLESEX
Probation Offices
1.
Spanish Town Probation
2.
Portmore Probation
3.
Clarendon
Probation
4.
Manchester Probation
5.
St. Ann Probation
REGION 3 – CORNWALL
Probation Offices
1.
Westmoreland
Probation
2.
Hanover Probation
3.
St. James
Probation
4.
St. James
Family Court
5.
St.
Elizabeth Probation
6.
Trelawny Probation
The Role of Probation Officers
The
Senior Probation Officer (SPACO) under the directorship of the Regional Director
assigns duties to the Probation After-care Officers and monitors all tasks
and responsibilities of the probation office.
Probation
Aftercare officers (PACO) form a professional group of social workers who are
officers of the Court and conduct court duties in accordance with the
Judges'/Magistrates’ orders. They
service family courts, juvenile, circuit, court of appeal, resident
magistrates and traffic courts (upon request) by conducting investigations to
reveal the psycho-social and personal history of those brought before the
courts. They produce social enquiry
reports, means inquiry, maintenance reports and many others. These duties are
mandated under the Probation of Offenders Act, the Criminal Reform Act, the Parole Act, the Family Court Adjudicator Act, the Gun
Court Act, the Poor Prisoner Defense Act and
others.
Officers
supervise offenders who are given community-based sentences including
Probation Orders, Community Service Orders, Suspended Sentences with
Supervision and Voluntary Supervision.
They supervise Parolees and those released from the institutions.
They are
also assigned to institutions to engage in counselling and facilitate the
re-entry of wards and inmates through enhanced community and family support.
On
initiating supervision, the probation officer conducts a Risk/Need Analysis
for each offender in order to determine the factors contributing to the
offender's offence. This helps to
determine the various methods of intervention that must be administered
during case management. Offender and
the Officer work together on set treatment goals to reduce the impact of criminogenic factors and prevent relapse to criminal
behaviour.
Probation
After-care officers engage in prevention programmes within the
communities. Institutions targeted
include Citizens Associations, youth clubs, schools and family planning
clinics. They work closely with
Non-Governmental Organizations such as Substance Abuse Treatment Centres,
Conflict Resolution Agencies and Family Therapy groups.
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