This week, July 14-18, is national probation, parole and community supervision officers’ week. It is a time to honor the services and work these people do for the community. Paul Opatz is the Stearns County probation officer who works with youth from Kimball, Brooten, Belgrade, and Paynesville As a juvenile probation officer, Opatz deals with troubled teens who are placed on probation for a variety of offenses. From those who commit minor property damage to criminal sexual misconduct, Opatz tries to help students get on track while keeping the community safe. “The goal of probation officers is public safety,” Opatz said. “We deal with kids who plead guilty or are found guilty in court. Our job is to prevent them from getting into more trouble.” As a major component of probation work, Opatz said that he works with many “behind the scenes people.” Together, families, teachers, social workers and counselors help the offenders. “We really want to work as a team to help the kids out,” Opatz said. Opatz also meets with the individual offender. He talks with the student about how things are going and if they are meeting their conditions of probation. “About 90 percent of the students we help out turn around,” Opatz said. “There are very few [who] have trouble as adults.” Opatz said some of the greatest success stories come out of the chemical dependency program. As a treatment option, some youth are sent to the Chisholm House in Duluth. They spend anywhere from 14-120 days at Chisholm House. During their stay, juvenile offenders have a rigid schedule. Time is set aside for education, counseling sessions, study, work and service-learning projects. “This program can turn [offenders] around,” Opatz said. “They set goals for themselves [before leaving].” Probations officers like Opatz really have an impact on individuals and the community through the work that they do. However, Opatz said that kids also need to be involved. “Kids are far less likely to get in trouble if they are involved in activities with adult supervisors.” Opatz explained that adults can mentor adolescents and serve as a role model. Kids may also have better behavior so they can keep participating in the activity or for the approval of their coach. Adolescents are also highly influenced by their peers. If offenders hang out with kids who are a bad influence, they may turn back to their old ways. “It is a real struggle to tell this to kids,” said Opatz. “You can’t tell them that their friends are a bad influence and expect them to stay away from them.” Opatz became interested in the corrections field while studying in college. He has been working in Stearns County for the last 18 years, 11 of which he worked with adult offenders. In addition to Opatz, there are 37 other employees in Stearns County who work with adults and kids on probation or as parole officers. For the past year, these officers have worked with 7,000 juvenile and adult offenders to hold them accountable while helping to change their behaviors. Stearns County asks residents to join in “supporting and recognizing the services our officers provide for our community and for public safety” throughout the week.
