The Massachusetts Region 5 parole office serves parolees in Springfield and the surrounding area. The Region 5 parole office, which falls under the Massachusetts Parole Board, within the Executive Office of Public Safety, includes 6 parole officers who oversee the region’s 454 parolees (as of December 2010). The Region 5 parole office handles about 14 percent of the Commonwealth’s total number of parolees.
Sponsored School(s)
In total, the Massachusetts’s Parole Board is responsible for some 10,000 parole release hearings and has some 8,000 parolees under supervision every year. There are 7 members of the Parole Board, all of whom are appointed by the Governor and with the advice of the Executive Council. All members of the Parole Board serve a term of 5 years.
Springfield, Massachusetts, which serves as the county seat for Hampden County, is the most populous city in the western half of New England. As of the 2010 census, Springfield had a population of about 699,000.
Education/Experience Requirements for Attaining Springfield, Massachusetts Parole Officer Jobs
Candidates for parole officer jobs in Springfield, Massachusetts are required to have at least 5 years of experience in one or more of the following areas: social work, parole work, probation work, rehabilitation counseling, psychology, criminal justice, or vocational counseling.
However, a degree in law enforcement, social work, human services, criminal justice, sociology, psychology, law enforcement, or rehabilitation counseling may be substituted for professional work experience at the following rates:
- Associate’s degree or higher: 2 years education substituted for 6 months of experience
- Master’s degree: 2 years education substituted for 1 year of experience
- Doctorate degree substituted for work experience
How to Become a Parole Officer in Springfield, Massachusetts through Training
Training requirements for parole officer careers in Springfield, Massachusetts, may differ, depending on the job assignment. Training and certification may be required in one or more of the following areas:
- Defensive Tactics Instruction
- Firearms
- Firearms Instructors
- Handgun Retention
- Pepper Spray
- Pepper Spray Instructors
Specialized Units within the Parole Services Division
There are a number of units that carry out the parole services within the Commonwealth:
Transitional Services Unit
The transitional services unit prepares all cases related to state and county parole, including revocation, release, and rescission cases. The transitional services staff tracks all parole-eligible inmates and calculates their parole eligibility. Transitional parole officers work throughout the Commonwealth’s state and county correctional facilities and compile all of the necessary data for the Parole Board. They often also prepare inmates for release to parole by organizing home and work plans and referring them to specific community programs.
Field Services Unit
The field services unit includes 8 regional parole offices, out of which parole officers monitor and supervise all offenders on parole. Parole officers through the field services unit ensure that all parolees remain in compliance with the conditions of their parole and work to integrate them back into the community.