Conflict resolution is an important part of communication in criminal justice fields like hostage negotiations, community policing, parole officers, and correctional facilities. If conflicts are not successfully resolved in these areas, it can result in lives lost, property damage, loss of public trust in law enforcement, escalating community problems, parolee violations returning to prison, and death or injury in correctional facilities. Conflict resolution techniques used include building rapport, diffusing emotions, allowing all parties to maintain dignity, developing community partnerships, mediation, negotiation, and training guards in defusing conflicts.
One of the most potent means of involving the community in exploring creative ways to enhance public safety is to provide them a Community Policing Officer, who acts as a problem solver and as an ombudsman to other public and private agencies that can help. Without pushing the analogy too far, patrol officers provide rapid response serve as society's emergency room physicians, while Community Policing Officers act as the family physicians, who have the time, opportunity, and continuity to not only treat illness, but to prevent disease and promote good health. Experience shows that sick communities definitely require the services of both kinds of officers to recover and to heal.
The problem-solving model is also well suited to the prevention of terrorism. Departments can use a wide variety of data sources to proactively develop detailed risk management and crisis response plans. It can be determined which sites have the greatest potential to be terrorist targets, levels of vulnerability can be analyzed, and responses can be planned, implemented, and continually reevaluated.
From my personal experience I think that the Community Policing concept is very successful and popular among our communities. It brings back the feeling of relief and satisfaction when citizens see that officers are working side by side with their community to try to root out and find new ways of eliminating the fear of crime and raise the quality of life.
Parole officers play a critical role in conflict resolution. The job if a parole officer is to deal with all the conflict that can occur between a parolee, and their employers, landlords, and families. Many times the environment along with the individuals involved in the conflict that the parole officers have to deal with are less than pleasant. There are many challenges that a parole officer will face at the same time it is the parole officers job to help teach the parolee how to handle the conflict in a way that will keep them from becoming repeat offenders. “ Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists work with criminal offenders, some of whom may be dangerous. In the course of supervising offenders, they usually interact with many other individuals, such as family members and friends of their clients, who may be angry, upset, or difficult to work with.” ( Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005).
Parole officers will often use mediation to resolve conflict resolution. There are many other programs that parole officers use to help their clients learn how to deal with conflict resolution. Parole officers also seek job training, rehabilitation programs, therapy, and other programs to use in order to help their clients deal with conflict resolution. SG Five is a training organization that is made up of active-duty police officers, military personal, and professional medics and security agents that have veteran experience and are expert instructors in their field of work. SG five offers conflict resolution courses for parole and probation officers that are looking to continue their training and improve their skills in conflict resolution, among other classes. RANT, or redirecting angry, nonproductive talk, is a class that is offered by SG Five. “ RANT: the ability to negotiate differences, influence people and resolve conflict seems to be a dying art. Members of the law enforcement community are a few of those who still practice the "power of persuasion". This course gives the student real-life strategies to enhances and refine his or her abilities. This course will empower the professional and bring the battle of the wills, to a peaceful resolution.” (SG Five, 2005).
Parole officers are very often working with clients that are on probation, and if the parole officer and various other individuals in the treatment team cannot help the client resolve whatever conflict that exists, they may have to attend a more strict treatment program that can possibly be an in-patient program, or they will be more closely monitored with electronic bracelets that have to be worn at all times. Worst-case scenario may lead to the violation of probation and the client will then have to return back to prison. Although there are many stresses that a parole officer deals with on a day to day basis, the end result when they are successful in helping their clients are indescribable to a parole officer.