Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Proposal to Study the Discretionary Decision-Making and Occupational Socialization of California Parole Agents in an Era of Organizational Change

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Parole agents make discretionary decisions regarding the fate of the parolees they supervise, while being influenced and bounded by the people and environments around them, as well as by their own prior and ongoing experiences, trainings, and philosophies.States and policy makers have repeatedly tried to limit the discretionary decision making power of parole agents by employing risk assessment instruments and requiring increasingly detailed paperwork that demands high-levels of individual accountability. Yet, while parole agents appear to be losing some power due to these imposed limitations, the power they maintain over the lives of the parolees they supervise is substantial. Despite the increased prominence of parole in the last decade in criminal justice circles, researchers have not systematically examined the role(s) played by parole agents. This project uses an ethnographic approach to explore the dynamics of discretionary decision-making and the occupational socialization of California parole agents. The PI will complement participant observation with informal, conversational interviews, life-history interviews, an organizational survey and analysis of institutional data collected at parole units and training facilities throughout California. This rich triangulated data will provide a detailed look at the daily activities, occupational socialization, and personal characteristics of parole agents as they encounter rapid changes in correctional practices. At the broader policy level, the study may suggest some potential problems and/or issues with parole agent recruitment, hiring, training and evaluation. The work will also open doors to future sociological and criminological studies of parole in California and beyond. This is increasingly important as states cut their criminal justice budgets and send prisoners to parole in greater numbers than ever before.