Honor hard work

Nationally this time of year, we celebrate Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, This year it’s July 16-22. We not only celebrate the work of pretrial release officers, pretrial diversion counselors, and probation and parole officers, but also the work of the support staff that makes successful supervision efforts possible.

The field has grown enormously since its beginning in the mid-19th century. In just the past 25 years alone these men and women have adopted evidence-based practices that keep victims safe, change peoples’ lives, and turn offenders into ex-offenders.

It’s tough work. It’s important work. And it’s work many people couldn’t or wouldn’t do. The hours are long, and the paperwork can be staggering. Defendants are often difficult, confused, and angry, and the pay does not even approach the value of the work.

We should recognize and thank them for what they do.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 9:10 PM with the headline "Honor hard work."