My brother is on probation for a DUI. No one is disputing the fact that he his paying for his crime against society. What I find completely and totally unacceptable is that they are a department of contradictions. They have a list of demands on a regular basis that require the person on probation to jump through numerous hoops; hoops that have no logical purpose. If my brother did not have the support of the family, he would have been violated and sent to jail because he would have been unable to meet their demands. Today his probation officer calls him at work (in New Braunfels) and tells him to be at her office in downtown SA by 3:30 to pay $90. In the middle of a hurricane with tornadoes all around, he has to call the store owner to come and relieve him or he will have to shut down the store. She had supposedly been trying to reach him for 3 days - but only via his cell phone - which is broken and he can't afford a new one. Not once did she bother to call his house. There is no method in which to make a payment electronically. The monitoring device he must wear for 6 months is another waste of money. A dedicated, NON digital line had to be installed, he has to be home by 8pm each night. He keeps his job and has an occupational license. If 8pm are the terms of his probation, why are tax payers and my brother paying twice to do the job that is the responsibility of the probation officer? The entire system needs to be evaluated and revamped. Additionally, probation officers, police, judges, and any other public official that makes decisions that affect peoples lives should be required to do periodic psychological testing. What I have witnessed in the judicial system is a series of inequities and arbitrary decisions based solely on the mood of the person rendering the decision. There are many horror stories - there is right and wrong, and what is happening within this department is wrong.
Pros: I'm sure there are many PO's that are still in the job to rehabilitate
Cons: There are too many on a power trip and the dept is a mess
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