Probation and parole agents protect residents > Back To Resources Main

By Jessica Bock

Chances are, those busy days are check-in days at the probation and parole office. Many of the people in the courthouse are headed to see their agents at the Department of Corrections office in the building.

"Most people in the community know very little about us," said Mike Williams, field supervisor of the Division of Community Corrections in Wausau.

It's the community that probation and parole agents want to protect. The 21 agents in Marathon County work every day to keep the rest of us safe. The job is not easy.

Williams told us at the Citizens Police Academy that studies have shown that about 50 percent of those in the criminal justice system have some type of diagnosable mental illness. About 70 percent to 80 percent have alcohol or other drug abuse problem. That can affect their ability to stay out of trouble.

Probation and parole agents want to make sure they do. Their job involves everything from checking on an offender at home to making rehab referrals or recommendations on appropriate sentences for someone who has been convicted of a crime. Most people on probation grumble about their restrictions at one time or another, but agents make them follow those rules with the community's safety in mind.

About 1,275 people are supervised by the Department of Corrections office. The majority of those cases are people on probation or those who have been given what Williams calls "a court-ordered chance." Many people confuse this with parole, which follows a prison sentence.

Crime affects everyone in the community, whether it's through rising insurance costs or other expenses. A recent rash of burglaries in neighborhoods on the city's east and southwest sides make it an appropriate time to talk about crime prevention, as police officer Andy Radies did this past week at the Citizens Police Academy. It's important not to give anyone the opportunity to break into your home. This means keeping doors and windows locked and having adequate lighting around your house, which can deter criminals.

Other tips:

Keep shrubs, bushes and trees well-trimmed around your house to make it difficult for someone to hide behind them.

Properly secure air conditioning units to windows.

Make your home looks occupied when you are away. Notify the police if your home will be vacant for an extended time so they can provide extra patrols in the area, and forward all calls to a neighbor.

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