Magic City Making an Impact: Birmingham Field Office – Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles

By Jakiya Dudley, Digital Media Specialist

BIRMINGHAM – On Wednesday, May 24, I visited the Birmingham Field Office. Located in the heart of downtown at 2112 12th Avenue North, this large field office accommodates the needs of Jefferson County’s probationers and parolees.

District Manager Terry Cauthen warmly received my visit, exuding enthusiasm to share the exceptional efforts that his officers and support staff put into serving the community. “This line of work is challenging at times, but I can honestly say my team helps alleviate the difficulty of it all,” DM Cauthen said. “They do an outstanding job of collaborating to achieve the common goal and better our community.” Cauthen supervises the largest field office within the agency with a combined total of 40 officers and support staff employees.

While DM Cauthen applauded his team’s performance, they gave credit to his positive leadership style for creating a healthy work environment that allows them to put their best foot forward. “DM Cauthen is truly a pleasure to work alongside,” said 15-year Administrative Support Assistant III Tameka Corbitt. “He cares about his employees’ wellbeing, not only the service we provide.”

The positive internal work culture at the Birmingham office allows the team to effectively fulfill their passion and serve their community one client at a time.

“I enjoy interacting and building a rapport with my clients,” said Senior Probation and Parole Officer Elie Wilson. “With a background in psychology and counseling, it is important for me to learn their story so I can support them but also hold them accountable.”

Senior Probation and Parole Officer Hillary Moore added insight on her interaction with clients. “Probationers and parolees are regular people who have just made mistakes,” she said. “We all make mistakes. So, I pride myself on treating all of my clients with respect despite what they’ve done. I’m here to provide them the necessary tools to be successful.”

Recognizing the hard work put in behind the scenes, ASA III Corbitt explained the importance of the day-to-day administrative needs. “We are the heartbeat of the office,” she said. “We ensure the officers and specialists stay on top of their never-ending to do list.”

DM Cauthen also commended each officer and specialist for going over and beyond on their recent project, titled Operation Pardons. This project fostered the completion of more than 1,600 pardons in a six-month time span.

The dedicated team assigned to this task included, Officer-In-Charge Eric Moore, Officer-In-Charge Hillary Moore, Officer Ashley Bailey, Officer Jasmine Vault, Senior Specialist Virginia King, Specialist Robin Green, Specialist Valarie McClellan, Specialist Gloria Montgomery, and Specialist Lauren Richie.

“As a trainer during the Operation Pardons project, it was extremely rewarding for me to see how much the team learned during the process and contributed to the successful pardons of our clients in such a short amount of time,” said Senior Specialist Virginia King. “I’m proud to see the outcome of our hard work.”

“I’m extremely proud to be a part of the Birmingham Field Office family,” DM Cauthen concluded. “I couldn’t have imagined pulling it off without this team.” The Bureau has 62 field offices, serving all Alabama counties. Field offices function as a local base of operations for Probation and Parole Officers, specialists, and other support staff. Officers are required to make various contacts with probationers and parolees based on their risk level. These contacts range from a monthly office visit for lower risk individuals to weekly office, home, employment, and curfew checks for higher risk individuals. In addition, officers are tasked with various types of investigations requested by the Bureau or courts, as well as assisting other law enforcement agencies when needed.