Probation officer Gina Ramirez shares her personal insight of the ups and downs of her job during a visit to criminal law teacher Lorena Emerson’s class. Photo by Laura Le.by Laura Le, Staff Writer
Throughout the course of the year, criminal law teacher Lorena Emerson has various guest speakers visit her class to talk about their professions in the criminal justice field.
On Friday, March 24, Gina Ramirez from the Orange County Probation Department made an appearance at Fountain Valley High School to inform students about probation and its role in the criminal justice system.
Ramirez works for the Orange County Probation Department as a deputy probation officer II. She is currently assigned to the Gang Unit, but more specifically, the Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership (GRIP) program. The goal of GRIP is to keep kids out of gangs. Ramirez works with elementary and middle schools throughout South Orange County in Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente to address truancy and behavior issues that kids who are at risk of joining a gang may have.
Being a probation officer, she is required to attend a minimum of 48 hours of state mandated training a year. However, she usually completes over 120 hours.
“I need to be in good physical shape to be able to perform my job duties effectively and safely,” said Ramirez.
She also explains that having good writing skills along with being able to communicate effectively with others is a must, as Ramirez is responsible for writing various reports for her own agency, other agencies and communities she works with.
Ramirez became involved in this line of work when she she applied to become a counselor at Orange County Juvenile Hall over 20 years ago. At the time, she didn’t know anything about law enforcement or probation. However, she soon discovered she had a passion for helping others and wanted to promote within her agency. From then on, she decided she was going to pursue a career in the criminal justice field.
Since many people are unfamiliar with what a probation officer does, Ramirez takes the time to explain what probation is.
“Probation is ordered by the court after a defendant pleads or is found guilty of a crime. It can be in lieu of jail time or can be ordered in addition to jail time. The court orders a defendant to obey a specific set of orders that the probation officer is tasked with enforcing,” said Ramirez.
For most adult offenders, probation typically lasts anywhere from three to five years. Since many of a person’s rights are terminated during this period of time, some people will opt for jail time rather than going on probation. There are ways to get off of probation, but the options are rather limited.
“A probation officer has the ability to request that a defendant’s probation be terminated early if they complete all the requirements of probation and have paid off all restitution, or compensation, owed to a victim. Another way a defendant’s probation can also end if they are sentenced to prison by the Court and probation supervision is no longer needed,” said Ramirez.
Her favorite aspects of her job are working with different people from all walks of life and within other agencies. “I am excited to see people become empowered to make changes in their lives and to better themselves,” said Ramirez. “I have made so many friends within my own department as well as with other departments, and I really feel that there is a strong sense of family among the people I work alongside.”
Ramirez has been able to make a positive impact on the lives of many, but she has also come to accept that there’s only so much she can do for others.
“The most difficult part of my job is knowing that I cannot help everyone and that sometimes in spite of my best efforts, people aren’t ready to make the necessary changes in their lives. I deal with some very sad and discouraging cases and that oftentimes frustrates me that I cannot do more to help someone,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez considers the city of Fountain Valley a safe place, as there isn’t any gang-related activity she knows of. Thus, she feels comfortable sending her kids to school each day, including two who currently attend Fountain Valley High School.
For those who are considering a career in criminal justice, Ramirez highly recommends they visit www.OCC.gov and research all the different types of law enforcement careers out there. There are so much more than just the police and corrections, including city, state and federal law enforcement agencies with many different jobs and functions.
“Take tours, go on ride-a-longs with different police agencies, apply for internships. You never know what might interest you or if an internship might open doors for a very rewarding career,” said Ramirez.
