Real-Life Communication -- Solution
Huh? Well, what the parole officer is saying is really quite simple...
once you get past the lengthy jargon. Let's break down the paragraphs into
simpler terms:
In the first paragraph, the parole officer is saying
that she's had a few meetings with your friend Shawn's supervisors ("case
conferences") about him.
In the second paragraph, the parole officer
talks about how Shawn was seen using drugs, so, she has stepped in to provide
him with direct support and assistance to try to make sure that it doesn't
happen again. (This is what she means by "intervention.") A "violation of
his parole terms" means that Shawn did something that he wasn't supposed to
while on parole: he used drugs.
In the third paragraph, the parole
officer is saying that they won't need to place Shawn under intensive supervision
("community control"). As long as it seems like Shawn will definitely not
use drugs again while on parole, he will probably be able to stick with lesser,
easier parole conditions. Basically, he just needs to obey the law like everyone
else.
In the last paragraph, the parole officer explains
that the original crime that landed Shawn in his parole situation was a small
crime (a "misdemeanor"), not a larger crime (a "felony"). She says she has
another meeting with her supervisor coming up and because she believes Shawn
is doing well and the drug usage was a one-time mistake, she's going to support
him and try to minimize any punishments against him for the drug use.
"Having
good communication skills is paramount to being an effective parole officer,"
says Tara Tomasi. She is a parole officer. "A parole officer's duties center
around liaising with a variety of interested parties: offenders, correctional
staff, police agencies, community members [and] nonprofit organizations...."