John Augustus Probation

John Augustus is credited with being the father of probation. A Boston shoemaker, Augustus spent his spare time observing what took place in the courts. Disturbed that minor offenders and common drunks were often forced to remain in jail because they had no money to pay off their fines, he convinced authorities to let him pay their fines and offered them friendly supervision. When the defendants later came into court for sentencing, Augustus would report on his progress toward reformation. Augustus efforts encouraged his home state of Massachusetts to pass the first probation statue in 1878. Four more states had followed suit by 1900. Probation was thus established as a legitimate alternative to incarceration. The first juvenile court was
Straight out of high school, I took a job as a security guard at the local mall. I had no experience but they took a chance with me. I learned a lot from working there. After about 9 months, I left for college. After college, I pretty much had it in my mind I wanted to be a probation officer. I read on the internet that a small California town needed members of their team. I scheduled a meeting and I’ve been here ever since.
How would you describe the interview process?
It actually was pretty easy. I stood before three members of the Department of Corrections. I was asked a few questions. I was hired on spot. To this day, I still do not know if it was because my resume was excellent or if it was because they were in desperate need of staff.
Please describe your job
I am a probation officer for about 115 men, women, and juveniles. My role is to keep tabs on their progress, make sure they are heading down the right paths. I attend court with most of them every 3 weeks to inform the judge of their progress. I also see each of them at least once a week in order to ensure they are complying with all conditions of the