Parole officers are charged with the duty of monitoring released inmates (or individuals who got by with a warning), and helping them transition back into civilian life as smoothly as possible. Given the importance of this responsibility, it should be no surprise that parole officer training is required in most jurisdictions. Periodic checkups, job placement, constant monitoring, conflict resolution, and occasionally psychological/emotional analysis are necessary for this particular occupation. Your training will borrow from disciplines ranging from law enforcement to corrections to social work. Management and supervision are essential, so most programs focus heavily on these two areas, but it's also important that you develop a certain amount of rapport with your charges in order to ensure adequate communication during the reentry process. Psychology, crisis management, self-defense, administration, and organizational skills are all additional areas you'll need to explore during your training.

Although most training graduates tend to work as parole officers, it is not uncommon for people to gravitate towards social work, corrections, law enforcement, bounty hunting, or private investigating. In addition, some parole officers eventually transition into working as security guards for the private sector in order to supplement their pensions during retirement. Given the wide range of skills one must master in order to become an effective parole officer, it should be no surprise that potential career paths are extremely varied.