Name:​ Steven Giles

Class:​ Intro to Criminal Justice

Date Submitted: ​12/4/2020
Bibliography ​- Gayman, M. D., Powell, N. K., & Bradley, M. S. (2018). Probation/Parole officer
psychological well-being: The impact of supervising persons with mental health needs.
American Journal of Criminal Justice : AJCJ, 43(3), 509-529.
doi:​http://dx.doi.org.grcc.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s12103-017-9422-6
Word Count: 513

SUMMARY:
This article poses the question of whether the amount of cases relating to mental health on an
officer's load is tied to the amount of officer complaints on their mental health. It also evaluates if
other factors such as training given to officers in mental health and services provided for mental
health of officers also affects the amount of complaints given. From the study it was discovered
that the main cause of complaints is mental exhaustion, and other factors had little to no effect
on the overall total at the end of the day. This research was conducted over a statewide survey
with over seven hundred ninety eight PPO’s. They also provide all the data and detailed
analysis of that data. They then explain how this data answered the question the articles is
posing.

COMMENTARY:
I chose this article because it related to what we are currently going over in our class. I also
chose this because I was curious on how officers could have such massive case loads. When I
heard that I thought that it must be impossible to sustain that work schedule for long until
something in the life of the case worker suffers. Something I found interesting in this article is
that it goes over some reasons people become officers. This is interesting information because
motivation could explain why people even go through such rigorous and demanding work
constantly. It also goes over what the mental health training and services available are and how
they can help. Which is important to understand the answer the article is posing to the reader.It
also adds insight to the overall lifes that these officers face that they would have to have mental
health training and services available to them. Then finally this article goes over the mental
exhaustion these officers face when they are given case loads of up to sometimes hundreds of
people at a time. It gives the reader a view into how exhaustion can affect the minds of these
officers and how they suffer because of it. I think overall this article serves as a great look into
the people who are protecting our society and how they are affected by it. These people aren’t
often associated with protecting us but they work such difficult amounts to do so. I think as
people we should appreciate the people who work these jobs as they are unsung heroes in our
society.

CONCLUSION:
In summary this article was a small view into the minds of the officers who protect us. It can
provide us with some additional information on how these officers can suffer from their work
loads. It allows us to be able to find some sympathy with these overworked officers and
understand how difficult these tough but necessary jobs in our society are. Oftentimes people
complain about not feeling safe or how incomptent the criminal justice system is, but they often
ignore how hard these jobs usually are on the body in mind. If we could all understand that
maybe these officers wouldn't have to work such insane case loads.