Nearly all people on parole and probation are required to seek and maintain employment as a condition of their release. As noted previously, community supervision officers can assist their supervisees in complying with this responsibility by ensuring that any restitution or other financial obligations are not too overwhelming and are tied to the supervisee's earnings. (See Policy Statement 17, Advising the Releasing Authority, for more on the importance of setting realistic terms and conditions of release.) There are, however, other steps that community supervision officers can and should take to encourage and support the employment efforts of the people whom they are supervising.

Parole and probation officers should be trained to be sensitive to workplace issues and consider the impact of their interactions with someone under their supervision while that person is at work. Employers should never feel that their productivity would be reduced because they have to constantly accommodate the needs of the community corrections officer and the person he or she is supervising. Further, community corrections officers visiting a probationer or parolee's workplace should be considerate about wearing a weapon in obvious sight, singling out the individual unnecessarily, or searching the person's possessions conspicuously. Such actions would needlessly compromise the person's ability to succeed in the workplace and his or her standing with his or her employer.

Community supervision officers can also partner with the employers directly to ensure that community supervision work does not unduly interfere withprobationers' or parolees' continued employment. In jurisdictions where certain employers hire many ex-offenders, such communication between corrections and the community can be particularly useful.

Example: Clark Construction and Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (DC)

The DC community supervision office has worked with Clark Construction to create realistic and functional operating procedures for people under community supervision working for Clark on construction jobs. For example, if Clark is working overtime doing a concrete pour, people under community supervision may not be able to leave on time to meet parole or probation requirements, such as returning to a halfway house by curfew. An understanding between the two organizations means that these Clark employees may complete their work without risking a violation.

Example: Greater New Orleans, Inc. and the Louisiana Department of Corrections

The Louisiana Department of Corrections (DOC) works closely with Greater New Orleans, Inc. (formerly MetroVision Economic Development Partnership), an arm of the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce, to identify barriers to the employment of individuals released from prison and to find ways to overcome these barriers. The DOC employs job development specialists to cultivate relationships with employers who may be open to hiring people with criminal records. Once an individual is employed, his or her parole officer will check in with the employer once a week for the first 30 days to ensure that the employee is meeting expectations.