I took the State of NJ exam for Probation Officer. Due to my prior law enforcement experience and extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system, I was hired and assigned to the Superior Court's Criminal Division. I performed complex background investigations on defendants who were awaiting pre-sentence hearings. I could have used the Court's video system to interview incarcerated prisoners, but I decided to travel throughout the state to interview these people face-to-face. I felt I could "better read" a person up close and personal rather than on a video screen from far away. I was given wide latitude on how and where I went, and for my professionalism and dedication to the job, I achieved a 96% on-time efficiency rating. Even though I was very successful in my job, I still had the "law enforcement" itch.
WHEN I WORKED IN THE COURTS 👮
"Dealing With An Illegal Alien"
About 20 years ago, I worked in the courts. A case was assigned to me that is not unlike what is happening today. Here are the facts...
The judge, the prosecutor and the defense attorney all agreed on a misdemeanor plea deal (time served and a fine), but first, the defendant, a woman from Mexico, had to have a complete background investigation done. I was assigned the case, so I had the woman come to my office where I interviewed her for 45 minutes. We talked about her home life, her family, her job, the crime itself, everything! She answered all of my questions without hesitation, but then, without being asked, she admitted being in the U.S. illegally for quite some time. I asked if she made this known to anyone, and she said, "No, she hadn't!" As an officer of the court, I had to deny her plea deal and recommend jail time (still under 1 year) and then turned over to INS for deportation. After all, she broke our laws when she entered illegally and tried to cover it up. I put all this in my report and turned it in. When her case was called, the defendant, this woman from Mexico, fled the jurisdiction of the court, so the judge issued a warrant for her arrest. Committing a crime was bad, but covering up a federal crime only compounded the issue.
About 20 years ago, I worked in the courts. A case was assigned to me that is not unlike what is happening today. Here are the facts...
The judge, the prosecutor and the defense attorney all agreed on a misdemeanor plea deal (time served and a fine), but first, the defendant, a woman from Mexico, had to have a complete background investigation done. I was assigned the case, so I had the woman come to my office where I interviewed her for 45 minutes. We talked about her home life, her family, her job, the crime itself, everything! She answered all of my questions without hesitation, but then, without being asked, she admitted being in the U.S. illegally for quite some time. I asked if she made this known to anyone, and she said, "No, she hadn't!" As an officer of the court, I had to deny her plea deal and recommend jail time (still under 1 year) and then turned over to INS for deportation. After all, she broke our laws when she entered illegally and tried to cover it up. I put all this in my report and turned it in. When her case was called, the defendant, this woman from Mexico, fled the jurisdiction of the court, so the judge issued a warrant for her arrest. Committing a crime was bad, but covering up a federal crime only compounded the issue.