Interview with a Correctional Treatment Coordinator
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Interviewee
Jael M. Marx
Job Title: Correctional Treatment Coordinator (Sex Offender Specialist), Washington State Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration
Years in Field: 7 years
What attracted you to work in juvenile justice?
I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Saint Martin's College. Toward the end of my academic career, I became truly engaged by the history and present trends in juvenile justice. To explore further, I started working as a part-time, on-call detention specialist for a county juvenile detention center and, within days, I knew I found a calling.
I realized that these were high-need children. The work was inspirational and, however small the gains, rewarding. Hoping to experience other county systems, I took a second job as a detention officer in a nearby county and continued my hands-on education. Each teenager was unique, yet I became increasingly aware of many similarities. They each need an opportunity for improvement, a chance to get back on their feet.
How did you end up as a corrections officer?
Working in a secure facility at the county level, most youth stayed only briefly. It was hard to set up a consistent program with a revolving door of clients. I wanted to do more, but especially work for longer stints of time with individual teenagers. The Washington State Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration gave me a place to do that. By joining JRA, I would have time to work with teenage felons on parole for anywhere from 12 weeks to 3 years, depending on their committing offense.
I started as a Counselor Assistant, basically a parole counselor in training, and spent 2 years providing supervision for work crews, day reporting and programming. Some of my best memories stem from that experience. I went on to work as a parole counselor, then a residential counselor in a secure state facility, and then returned to a parole counselor position in a different region. Working with these young people, I became poignantly aware of the difficulties and obstacles facing paroled, teenage sex offenders.
In addition to meeting stringent parole and treatment conditions, these youth were often ostracized, labeled and mistreated by their home communities. I became protective of this population. Not long after, I had an opportunity to interview for my current position, and was promoted into it 4 years after starting as a counselor assistant.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I'm responsible for overseeing and monitoring sex offender treatment with contracted providers and direct service for youth in ten counties. I also act as a community liaison for the region, educating the community in sex offender matters, addressing public concern and representing our agency at several law enforcement committees.
Six of us hold this community position in the state, with 4 others with the same title in our secure facilities. We meet monthly as a team to address sex offender issues and best practices. We discuss particularly hard cases and informally review potential civil commitments. We also meet once month with a multi-disciplinary team to assign and recommend risk levels for our clients.
Many days I'm responding to urgent calls from neighbors, schools and families. It's hard to stick to a set schedule, there's a lot of juggling and prioritizing. As a resource for parole staff on sex offender laws, regulations and parole requirements, I serve our own staff as much as I do the public. I also work to answer and address family concerns. Unfortunately our sex offender laws not only affect our adjudicated youth, but also their families and neighborhoods. Sometimes the victim is a member of the family as well. It is a very frightening journey for a family attempting to heal and move forward. Of course, we also work with and participate as much as possible with victim concerns and victim advocates.
What do you most enjoy about corrections?
You need to be prepared to work in a profession that does not offer instant gratification. As in any social work, you need to be patient, compassionate and invested in your clientele. Each person needs to be treated as unique and valuable, regardless of their offense, current conduct or attitude. Be prepared to take your work home with you – your heart does not automatically shut down at 5 PM.
You also need to be firm, consistent and creative. While the juvenile justice system is a bureaucracy, you need to think outside of the box when dealing with juveniles. Above all, never forget that they are children who all have the capacity for change. Think of it as a job with many hats: parole officer, guidance counselor, facilitator, mentor and advocate.
Related Articles:
- Corrections Specialist
- Probation Officers vs. Parole Officers: What's the difference?
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