Frivårdsinspektörens yrkesroll och handlingsutrymme - en kvalitativ intervjustudie med fyra frivårdsinspektörer

The aim of this study was to examine the probation inspector, how the percieve their professional role and discretion, and how they experience their work with emphasis on the dual roles of control and support. This is a qualitative study where I interviewed four probation inspectors from a probation office in southern Sweden. The concepts which I applied in the analyze were social psychology, symbolic interaction, theory of role and the concepts of discretion and street-level bureaucracy. The results showed that the probation officers perceived their scope of action as extensive. The respondents said that they experience that individual assessments is a big part of their work and explained the ways in which it influenced their way of working. The probation officers professional role is based on standards and expectations from the organization, the clients and the personal values. The professional role is created in relation to control and support and is formed in the interaction between client and probation inspector. This means that the same action can mean both support and control