- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Mental Health
I became a probation officer after friend of mine said they were looking for people who had mental health and addiction backgrounds. I was a licensed psychotherapist, so I went for the job, as it seemed like a good fit. I have been a probation officer for 11 years now.
I come across a lot of people through the criminal justice system, and sometimes they are unaware of why they keep finding themselves in the system. They question, “Why am I here? What am I doing here?” and it’s because of drugs and alcohol and not addressing addiction. I help them discover that their addiction is what has them in the criminal justice system. It’s not because they are a bad person. When they discover that, it empowers them, because they can finally do something about the problem. My goal is to help someone who enters the system, so they’re better when they leave the system. I specialized in addiction and mental illness, so that’s really my focus.
I work on taking the stigma out of the drug or alcohol problem or mental illness that’s driving a person’s criminal behavior. Some people feel more comfortable being a criminal than saying, “I have a drug or alcohol problem.” This feels like admitting to some sort of vulnerability. If you’re a criminal, you’re a macho guy who is doing bad things. I teach people to be more vulnerable, and I do that by establishing a good relationship and trust and rapport.
When thinking of success stories you’ve encountered, which comes to mind first?
One gentleman was involved in passport fraud. He had a drug and alcohol problem that was leading to bad decision making, but he didn’t believe it. I sent him to treatment, and he did what he needed to do, but I kept catching him drinking. I really stayed on top of him, and I was holding him accountable. I wasn’t going to just let him get through the system. He finally got a DUI, and to him that was a crisis, because I had the power to recommend to the federal judge to put him in prison or send him to an inpatient program. I spoke to him, and I said I wasn’t going to make the treatment recommendation, unless he convinced me why. He did, and he has been clean and sober for a year and a half. He found out that his son is an addict, and he’s been dealing with that struggle. We still talk today.