In Kentucky, there's a saying that has motivated Lelia VanHoose, Director of Probation and Parole for the state's Department of Corrections, for years.

“We walk a fine line between being social workers and cowboys,” VanHoose says.

According to VanHoose, that fine line is a necessary balance between focusing on rehabilitation and punishing offenders who continue to act out while they are on parole or probation.

“In social services, you have people who are more interested in the officer side of it, and arresting people,” VanHoose explains. “Then you have people who are so dead set on social work that they forget about the times when an arrest is necessary. It's important to strike a balance between those things – and teach that balance to others.”

VanHoose has constantly applied this philosophy on the job. And while working with tough cases, VanHoose has maintained a humane, yet firm, attitude.

“It's easy to get emotional in corrections – we're all human,” VanHoose says. “There are plenty of [offenders] that are well versed at bringing forth emotions in other people. But you have to be firm, fair and consistent. You have to have a plan of where you want an offender to go, how you want them to progress, and you have to carry it out.”

With a clear focus on rehabilitation, VanHoose has become a member of the state's corrections family. She is known among her peers for her outstanding relationships with everyone from judges to law enforcement officials. Described by co-workers as a “true professional,” VanHoose was named the 2005 Probation and Parole Supervisor of the Year in Kentucky.

The Corrections Connection recently spoke with VanHoose and asked about her goals in corrections – and her focus on rehabilitation.

Q: How did you get involved in the corrections field?

VanHoose: I started pretty much out of college, after I earned a sociology degree. I was interested in probation and parole and criminal justice matters. I found openings in areas that I liked in Central Kentucky, where I'd gone to college. I took some tests and got into probation and parole.

Q: Why were you interested in probation and parole?

VanHoose: This is a human service field – you don't go into this to get rich or for personal awards. This almost sounds like a bad thing, but I always think that this job teaches that many of us are pretty blessed. If you have a job and you can go to work every day, you are blessed. People tend to feel sorry for themselves sometimes.

But if I ever feel sorry for myself, I go out and do home visits and I realize things aren't so bad for me. That's one of the most eye opening experiences, to be in a parolee's home and see the circumstances they are surrounded by.

But I do this for the love of the work and the passion for the people – not the personal glory and the pay. It's the desire to do a good job, help the community, help the people around you and help offenders adjust to that community.

Q: What's the most rewarding part of your job?

VanHoose: There have been several times that I realized that if I just made one difference [with someone], it mattered. There was one fellow that I supervised for a murder conviction when I was 23 or 24, and he was a hardened murderer, so to speak. He came into our meeting and told me he had started using drugs again. I personally drove him, in my own vehicle, in the snow, and took him immediately to a treatment center. He stuck with the treatment plan. Now, he is a reverend that has a doctorate and he's doing amazing things in his community.

I think about another fellow I supervised that went back to college and got a Master's degree and now he's changing lives. That makes all of the difference – seeing those successes and what they are doing for others.

Q: What is your philosophy when it comes to work? What keeps you going every day?

VanHoose: I've always said that we need to work smarter, not harsher. We're working with limited budgets and limited access to some things. But we're trying to use best practices, and make sure the offenders are getting their needs met as best as possible too.

My philosophy has always been to be firm, fair and consistent. Now, I'm just in a different role to make sure we're using that philosophy. We just want to find new and better ways to do the job. We need to rehabilitate [offenders] and get them on the right track, so they don't re-offend. I would hope that anyone in a similar field would have the same focus I do.

But the goal – no matter what – is that you always treat people the way you want to be treated. When you keep that in mind, the goal is that all the success and hard work is worth it. Just to know there is one success – you've helped one person become successful; you've helped an offender, their family and even the employees. If you make one positive difference for someone along the line, it's worth it. Unfortunately, there's a lot of negative in the business we're in, so you have to keep the positives in mind.

Q: How do you feel about being recognized for your work?

VanHoose: I'm very, very pleased with the award. You always feel like you're working hard to do a good job, but the district I had gone to work in had some issues and I worked very hard to get those settled. It was a good office but we had to get it settled and back focused. I felt so pleased because I felt it was an acknowledgement of the hard work and progress that we made with that district.

It's always gratifying for anyone in any position to be recognized for hard work. You do the work and you work hard because – I'm proud to say – my parents instilled in me a work ethic that doesn't accept substandard. I have been raised with that instilled. It's just a part of doing your job well and a job well done. It's an inner satisfaction and the acknowledgement is an important part of any type of supervision – to acknowledge the good things.