Opening Plenary:

Why is it Critical to be Mindful of Self and Others?


Sunday, February 12, 2023

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

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.

Presenter

Mario A. Paparozzi, Ph.D.

For 30 years of his distinguished career, Dr. Paparozzi worked at the New Jersey Department of Corrections. He held a number of positions in the state of New Jersey from parole officer trainee to supervisory/management positions. During that time, he served as Deputy Interstate Compact Administrator, Assistant Commissioner of Community Programs, and Chairman of the Parole Board.

Dr. Paparozzi worked as an adjunct professor of sociology and criminal justice for 20 years including a faculty appointment at The College of New Jersey’s Department of Law and Justice where he served as the Associate Director of the Criminal Justice Research and Policy Center. In 2003, he accepted a position at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke where he is currently a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.

Dr. Paparozzi has given keynote addresses, seminars, and professional training in 46 states in America as well as abroad; he has conducted interviews and appeared on several television and radio shows on topics related to social and criminal justice, government, and other civic-minded issues; and he has published extensively.

Dr. Paparozzi previously served as an international judge for the United Kingdom’s International Community Justice Awards Conference hosted by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and the British Home Office. His memberships involvement included the Board of Directors of the American Probation and Parole Association where he served a term as president; the Manhattan Institute's Council to Reinvent Probation; the Board of Trustees of the Crime Victims' Legal Center; and founding member of the New Jersey Parole Officers’ Benevolent Association. Currently, he is a member of EXiT (Executives Transforming Probation and Parole).

Contributing Sponsors

Allied Universal® Electronic Monitoring - Lanyards

Also, special thanks goes to our Corporate Members!