Probation Officer Exam
questions (fully solved &
verified for accuracy)
1. The primary function of parole is
a. to ensure the safety and security of the
community.
b. to provide community resources and services
to the offender.
c. to provide basic supervision of offenders
once they are released from prison.
d. to assist in locating employment. - answer Answer A. Maintaining the
safety and security of the community is the main function of commu- nity
supervision. Choices b, c, and d are all important tasks of a parole officer
and are byproducts of choice a. If a parole officer accomplishes these
tasks well, then the safety and security of the community is likely
2. A parolee comes to see you, angry that a poten- tial employer refused
to hire him because he is on parole. He wants you to do something about
it. How should you respond?
a. You should tell the offender it isn't your fault; he is the one with a
felony conviction.
b. You should express empathy for the offender and point him to another
job lead.
c. You should sympathize with the offender, pick up the phone, and call the
business owner who denied employment, telling him that he
discriminated.
d. You should tell the offender that there are all kinds of people who
discriminate and that he has a right to be angry. - answer Answer B.
Choice a may be correct, but it is not an appropriate way to handle this
,type of situa- tion. Choice c is incorrect because being on parole is not a
legal discrimination category. Choice d is also not an appropriate
statement for a parole officer to make.
3. You have decided to impose the special condi- tion, "You will not have
any contact with small children in your home, at work, or any other
location in which you frequent," upon a partic- ular sex offender on your
caseload. He argues it is unconstitutional and tells you he is going to sue.
What grounds do you have to impose this condition?
a. Simply by being the parole officer, you can impose whatever special
condition you want for whatever reason.
b. The Fourth Amendment provides you with this authority, which has
been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
c. Parole is discretionary, and conditions may be imposed or modified as
long as they are rea- sonable and related to circumstances of the offense
and criminal history of the parolee.
d. You cannot impose this condition. - answer 3. Answer C. Maintaining
the safety and security of the community is the main function of commu-
nity supervision. Choices b, c, and d are all important tasks of a parole
officer and are byproducts of choice a. If a parole officer accomplishes
these tasks well, then the safety and security of the community is likely.
Choice a may be correct, but it is not an appropriate way to handle this
type of situa- tion. Choice c is incorrect because being on parole is not a
legal discrimination category. Choice d is also not an appropriate
statement for a parole officer to make.
Parole is a discretionary action and not a right of parolees. Conditions can
be modified or added at any time by a parole officer, as long as the
condition is reasonable and fits the offender, his or her history, etc. Choice
b is incorrect because the Fourth Amendment deals with search and
seizure and does not apply in this case. Choice a is incorrect because
there must be a rational reason to add to a parolee's supervision
conditions. Choice d is simply not true.
4. You decide to start revocation proceedings on a parolee on your
caseload. The due process rights afforded to the parolee at this time do
NOT include
a. a notice of the violations and time of hearing.
,b. the opportunity to be heard at a hearing and
a chance to cross-examine witnesses.
c. the right to counsel.
d. a written statement by the fact finders of the
final decision. - answer 4. Answer C. Under Morrissey v. Brewer, several
due process rights are afforded to parolees who are facing revocation. In
addition to at least one revocation hearing, choices a, b, and d must also
be afforded to the parolee. Morris- sey did not provide the right to have
legal counsel at any of the revocation proceedings, although it is left to
the state's discretion to determine the need for counsel.
revocation proceedings- begins when a probation officer or other person
supervising the sentence, a prosecutor, or a court official develops reason
to believe that an individual is not complying with the conditions of the
sentence.
5. A parolee, who is in jail waiting to be trans- ported back to prison, tells
you his Eighth Amendment rights are being violated. What allegation
would he be making?
a. The jail is overcrowded.
b. There is a lack of adequate medical care and
treatment.
c. The jail is overcrowded, and there is a lack of
adequate medical care and treatment.
d. none of the above - answer 5. Answer C. The Eighth Amendment deals
with issues of cruel and unusual punishment that have been addressed in
the various courts through cases dealing with conditions of confinement.
8th Amendment- Prohibiting the federal government from imposing
excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments, including torture.
6. You have been told one of your parolees has a gun hidden in her car.
Can you search her car, and what provides you justification to do so? a. As
the parole officer, you can do whatever is
necessary to protect society.
, a. As the parole officer, you can do whatever is
necessary to protect society.
b A parolee must allow his or her car and
home to be searched by the parole officer as
described in the parole conditions.
c. No, a search cannot be accomplished with-
out a search warrant.
d. No, law enforcement officers from the police
department are the only ones who can do a search. - answer 6. Answer B.
As described in standard parole conditions, a parolee must allow a parole
officer with rea- sonable suspicion to search his or her home
and car. A parole officer does not have the right to "dig" through dresser
drawers or boxes that might be in the truck of a car; however, a parole
officer acting on reasonable and reliable information may do more than a
plain view search. Choice a is legally irre- sponsible because a parole
officer can take only actions that are reasonable. Choices c and d are
simply not true for parole officers. In many states, parole officers are
designated as law enforcement by state statute and, therefore, have the
same powers as police officers. However, state policy or regulation may
restrict parole officers from completing some law enforcement actions.
7. You are conducting a home visit of one of your parolees. This parolee
has been released from jail for only two months and is currently living
with his mother. You walk into the home through the front door and hear a
disturbance in the kitchen. The parolee immediately apolo- gizes for the
"noise" that his mom and her cur- rent boyfriend are making. You start
conducting your conversation with the parolee when you hear a slap, and
then the male voice loudly says, "I'm going to kill you for that." Your
parolee is very upset and starts to go toward the kitchen. You should
a. ignore what is happening in the kitchen and continue talking with the
parolee.
b. follow the parolee into the kitchen and demand to know what is going
on.