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The Role and Responsibilities of Juvenile Probation Officers in Greece

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This article, through a bibliographic review and a study of the legislation, investigates the role and responsibilities of Juvenile Probation Officers in Greece. Initially, the work records the historical background of Juvenile Probation Officers in Greece up to the present day. Subsequently, the article focuses on the contribution of Juvenile Probation Officers to the prevention of juvenile delinquency and their tasks in juvenile courts. Then, the work of Juvenile Probation Officers in the exercise of counseling and social policy towards minors is developed. Afterwards, the work focuses on the individual assessment and social research carried out by Juvenile Probation Officers on minors and the relevant reports that are prepared. Finally, the necessary conclusions are drawn. Juvenile Probation Officers are a necessary, intermediate pole between minors and the juvenile courts. Juvenile Probation Officers perform an important, multidimensional and difficult task, supervising, controlling, protecting and advising minors and their families through adverse conditions, complex legal regulations and understaffed services. The range of responsibilities of Juvenile Probation Officers extends from crime prevention to crime suppression, supervising minors even within special youth detention facilities.
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