The present research presents an exploratory study of selected internal factors that are particularly important to the probation and parole officer occupation, and how they impact on the career stability of Florida probation and parole officers. Two models were developed to represent the conceptualized relationships. The first model suggests that the identified internal factors are key dimensions upon which the expectations of new officers are met, or not met. The degree to which the new officer's idealized expectations are met by the reality of the work environment are viewed as being directly linked to the level of strain experienced by the officer, with the level of strain linked to career stability. The second model suggests that career stability is linked to an officer career continuum with four identifiable positions: stayers, passive potential leavers, active potential leavers, and actual terminations. / Internal factors identified in the model are role orientation, work practice orientation, and professional autonomy. It was hypothesized that individual offices, and the organization as a whole, would manifest an agency personality encompassing these factors and that this collective position could be quantified. Additionally, it was hypothesized that former officers, or officers strongly contemplating terminating service, would differ from the agency norm on these selected factors. Thus, some former officers were theorized to be organizational rejects. Two similar questionnaires were designed to survey former (N = 67) and in-service (N = 88) officers. / Initially, the study found that officers with a criminology/criminal justice education were more likely to leave, or contemplate leaving, than colleagues with an alternate educational background. However, subsequent analysis discovered that 52 percent of the ex-officer sample terminating for new employment remained in the criminal justice field, and 24 percent of that same group went to different probation and parole agencies. There was evidence that a specialized criminology/criminal justice education may actually increase expectations about the officer role in relation to the actual reality eventually encountered. / The nature of the relationship between career stability and work practice orientation proved quite elusive. A high work practice orientation score signified that the individual viewed the primary responsibility of the officer role as service to the probationer/parolee. Conversely, a low score signified the individual's belief that community protection was the officer's primary responsibility. The differences between scores of in-service and ex-officers, for both the state and district levels were not significant. However, when type of new employment was controlled for, it was discovered that all former officers going into law enforcement were below the work practice orientation median, and that all former officers going into social services were above the median. The distribution was significant at the .0011 level. The latter finding suggests that the work practice orientation of the individual in relation to the aggregate agency orientation does impact on career stability. / The relationship between low perceived autonomy and low career stability was much clearer and stronger. It was discovered that officers wishing to leave service at the time of the survey were much more likely to be below the autonomy median (highly restricted) than those wishing to stay in service. The distribution was significant at the .15 level. Additionally, the autonomy scores between in-service and former officers at the state level and for one of the ten districts were significant, .0074 and .00015, respectively. These results are supportive of the position that autonomy impacts on career stability and that autonomy related terminations may be viewed as organizational rejections. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 1326. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74412 |
| Contributors | MALCAN, JAY WALTER., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 195 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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