May 24, 2010: Patronage at the Probation Department

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Nancy commented on Greater Boston on 05.24.10
I watched Emilys interview with Treasurer Cahill and found him not to be the best person to serve as spokesperson for how probation works. He was primarily interested in showing that his agency is superior to both the legislature and the judiciary. I think that Emily is an excellent reporter and interviewer, so I was disturbed by several offhand remarks that she made about probation positions being desirable because it must be an easy job. I believe that the majority of probation officers do a days work for a days pay and work under difficult conditions with most people having little knowledge of what they do. I think it was irresponsible for Emily to put that out there that they have an easy job and that they dont need that many employees. Probation officers are required to supervise their clients on a strict schedule and those who report once/month have been assessed as lower risk. The department is severely topheavy, and that is also the legacy of John OBrien. I am very pleased that Ron Corbett has been named to oversee the dept. in this interim period. As a retired probation officer, I was one who was extremely disappointed when he was passed over to become commissioner when Don Cochran retired. I hope that Emily will have the opportunity to interview Dr. Corbett one day soon and get a clearer picture of what probation officers on the line can do and actually do.

A Boston Globe Spotlight report on the state’s Probation Department revealed that patronage is a common practice at the agency and political connections are key to career advancement. On Monday, Probation Commissioner John O'Brien was suspended after an investigation was launched into the agency's hiring practices.

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