I hold the view that o fficers who work with juveniles need to possess skills that differ from other officers working with adults. Such a difference is necessary because of the conditions in which they work and the people they handle. Juveniles must be treated in ways that are different from adults because of the age factor, they are young, and so they require courteousness. Besides, the work environment dictates the skills that both officers should possess. For instance, juvenile officers get to engage with offenders to rehabilitate those who are troubled (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). The educational requirement of a juvenile officer is comprehensive as compared to that of an adult officer. However, this does not mean there work complicated as that of the adult officers.
The qualification of juvenile officers includes education, such as a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Besides, they have to undergo special training to gain the knowledge, abilities, and skills to do their job before practice. Another qualification is experience. Most organizations do not require experience to be a juvenile officer. Nonetheless, it is a useful attribute as it aids in getting the job (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). For instance, if one has a record of serving in the military and private security, the chances of being employed as a juvenile officer are high.
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The job description of juvenile officers regulates their skills. The officers' duties include counseling troubled youth. Contrarily, adult officers are not obligated to counsel adult officers. The other tasks of juvenile officers include supervising probationary youthful offenders, producing written reports, guarding incarcerated youth, working with parents and guardians, providing courtroom testimony, and assessing the young offenders (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). Such duties require the officers to have different qualifications from those guarding adults.
Three primary skills are critical for every juvenile officer. The first one is interpersonal skills. An officer must be able to communicate with inmates, counselors, doctors, staff, and other officers. The other ability is decision-making skills. Officers need to make fast decisions to ensure their safety and that of those around them, especially juvenile inmates (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). Lastly, the officers must have physical strength and stamina. Juvenile officers are always on their feet for a long time. They might also be needed to solve physical confrontations and protect the inmates.
An officer who has worked with adults for more than ten years can transition into becoming a successful juvenile officer. Officers who have worked with adults have an added advantage since they have at least worked in the security sector involving inmates. However, the differences in handling the adult inmates and juvenile inmates must be considered. There are as well many similarities, which an officer can still emulate while serving as a juvenile officer. For instance, an officer can apply interpersonal skills and physical abilities in case of any disruption (Haqanee, Peterson-Badali & Skilling, 2015).
An officer who has worked with adult offenders will have to go through in-service training to attain the general orientation. However, they will not have to take part in physical strength and conditioning activities. As adult offenders' officers, they have performed activities that build their mobility. However, they will have to be taken through facility policy, operations, and administrations, and be taught specific correctional skills (Haqanee, Peterson-Badali & Skilling, 2015). The correctional skills applied to juveniles differ from those applied to adult offenders. They will have to learn correctional techniques such as defensive tactics, emergency response, and observation skills enhancement. Juvenile facilities always prefer working with officers who have had experience in the security sector. Therefore, having worked in an adult facility makes it even obvious to be employed as a juvenile officer.
References
Haqanee, Z., Peterson-Badali, M., & Skilling, T. (2015). Making “what works” work: Examining probation officers’ experiences addressing the criminogenic needs of juvenile offenders. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation , 54 (1), 37-59.
Siegel, L. J., & Welsh, B. C. (2014). Juvenile delinquency: Theory, practice, and law . Cengage Learning.
