Opening Plenary: Why is it Critical to be Mindful of Self and Others
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SESSION INFO

Sunday, February 12, 2023
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Session Type: Plenary
When probation and parole officers are “all in" we change some lives and likely even our own. Being mindful of self and others is critical. There are still some intractable issues in our profession that often foster burnout, cynicism, and role conflicts. The age-old question is: Are we clear about the goals of probation, parole, and community corrections? What gets counted is what matters. So, we must ask ourselves if we are counting the right things in order to steer the work of staff to achieve goals or are we really good at telling stakeholders how busy we are as opposed to how effective we are or can be. A balanced approach to the supervision of people under some form of community supervision requires treatment/helping + surveillance + enforcement. There is some research evidence that indicates that when a balanced approach is employed, public safety is enhanced. We must consider whether our profession is making everything old new again or if we are willing to reinvent ourselves so that public safety and justice are enhanced for all. 

SESSION PRESENTERS
Dr. Mario Paparozzi
Professor, University of North Carolina at Pembroke


I am a Past-president of APPA and the International Association of Reentry. My 35+ year career started out as a line officer in the New Jersey Bureau of Parole. As fate would have it, I ended up working my way through the system and finished up as Assistant Commissioner of Community Corrections and Chairman of the New Jersey State Parole Board. I have spent the last several years working as a professor and department chair first at The College of New Jersey and currently at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. I do lots of talks and trainings for practitioners and policy makers in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and Asia. My career has been more gratifying than I could have ever imagined when I started out. I would like to serve as a regional representative to give back to a profession that has given me so much.