Paper details:
Discretion is an essential part of criminal justice. Officials from all areas- police, judges, district attorneys, and everyone else- make decisions based upon experience and informed judgment.
Probation officers must use discretion when deciding how to handle probationers’ missteps- when to give warnings, when to formally sanction, and when to suggest revocation. On the other side of the equation, it is very difficult to live and function in a situation in which the rules are arbitrary.
If you are constantly getting mixed messages, are unaware of what is expected of you, and are held to standards in an unpredictable manner, it will be very difficult for you to get anything done.
Without knowing exactly what the rules and standards are, it’s very difficult to know how to act.
If you were a probation officer, how would you balance discretion and arbitrariness? Can you think of any general or guiding principles to help you walk this fine line?
Have you had any previous experience (maybe as a supervisor, teacher, or parent) that might help you walk that line?