Alumni Profiles
Where Are They Now
Andrew S. Benner - Class of 1997
Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Cumberland County
How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ prepare you for your current role?
I took a counseling class and we would do counseling-type role-playing, and I remember the professor saying to me, ‘Are you sure you want to be criminal justice? You're pretty good at counseling.’ I've really found that as a juvenile probation officer, you have to wear multiple hats. At times you have to do law enforcement, but a lot of the job is more counseling and sociology-oriented. I would say the best probation officers have both skill sets.
How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ help shape your career path?
The spring semester of my junior year, I did a Washington semester at American University. I took classes, did a major research project and got an internship. My internship was with federal probation in Alexandria, Virginia. Once I worked in federal probation, I was like, oh, this is perfect for me. This is exactly what I want. To get that internship during the Washington semester really set me on my career path.
Do you have any advanced degrees?
I did go on and get my master's degree at Shippensburg University in Criminal Justice Administration through a program within the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission that sponsors a master's program.
What is your favorite book at the moment?
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. and Tattoos On The Heart by Father Greg Boyle. I would highly recommend. They are great books.
What is something you wish you could tell your 20 year old self?
Make sure you take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. I never, even today, close doors, so I never think, this is it, I'm going to be in this role for the rest of my career. I'm always searching. And sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to look for possibilities and open doors. And make sure that you explore them. Don’t get locked into thinking you're going to go a certain way with your career, or just your life, keep your options open.
What goal are you working toward?
I'm really involved in the movement of what juvenile justice looks like in Pennsylvania. I get to be a part of building what I think is a national leader in juvenile justice in Pennsylvania by really focusing on evidence-based practices, the implementation of science into our field, and using research and data to help inform our decisions. Systems have really changed to be more interactive, working with youth, trying to work on risk and need areas, develop skills, provide interventions in those areas. With the ultimate goal of reducing the number of youth that end up in the adult criminal justice system. We've reduced recidivism significantly over the years by changing the way we do business. It used to be, you check in with kids, make sure they're not committing crimes, make sure they're not doing drugs, and you'd go on your way. Now we do assessments, we're figuring out what areas youth are struggling in and really try to provide services in those areas. I think is very important to make sure we continue to refine our system in the years ahead.