Parole and probation officers must deal with individuals suffering from psychiatric or substance abuse disorders on a frequent basis. Ellis Amdur and Alan Pelton offer parole and probation officers a comprehensive set of strategies to keep themselves as well as the general public safe, while functioning at the highest level of professionalism.

• The first section of this book offers an overview of the role of community corrections in dealing with the mentally ill and/or substance abusing offender.
  
• The second section is tactical: everything from field safety and tactical planning on one side, to honing your intuition to pick up early signs of danger on the other.
  
• In the third section of the book, the authors focus on us: what we can do to achieve a state of integrity and powerful calm. Rather than abstract pronouncements, they offer specific strategies, including a method of breathing for the purpose of maintaining one's own center in crisis situations.
  
• They then discuss specific behaviors ranging from confusion and obsessive concerns to psychosis, mania and acute disorganization.
  
• In one very important section, they discuss interactions with manipulative individuals (at worst, those referred to as psychopaths), people who present a danger to the psychological and physical well-being of anyone with whom they come in contact.
  
• They then move on to a discussion of aggression, whether directed at the parole or probation officer or others.
  
• There is a specific section set aside on dealing with aggressive youthful offenders.
  

Amdur and Pelton discuss how to de-escalate aggressive and chaotic individuals once a crisis is in play. De-escalation tactics are specific - one learns how to immediately recognize what mode of aggression the person is displaying, and then, one can effectively implement the de-escalation tactics that are best suited to deal with the aggression one is facing.