Articles address the dichotomy of responsibilities which probation/parole officers must perform, i.e., the mandate to render assistance while also supervising and reporting on client behavior to the criminal justice system. Several articles discuss the ways in which States have attempted to reconcile the autonomy issue between the courts and the probation/parole service. These describe the administrative structures under which the probation/parole services operate in the service of the criminal justice system -- specifically in West Berlin, North Rhine-Westphlia, and Baden Wuertemberg. Other articles assess the records confidentiality issue as it applies to probation/parole officers and urge regulations that clarify and limit access to their case files. Probation and parole officer understanding and utilization of West German labor laws are urged in another article, which considers employment assistance among the most important services rendered ex-offenders on probation or parole. Individual articles contain footnotes and references. For individual articles, see NCJ 89182-89187.