By C1 Staff
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — A former probation officer with the Florida Department of Corrections started her own radio show to help give back to her former profession.
“These folks, my people, they’re disillusioned and hopeless and don’t know how educating themselves on the system works can turn their lives around,” Monalisa Weber told the Broward Palm Beach News Times. “They’re facing a lack of resources and income. The problem is deeper than their actual crimes. It’s a broken system.”
Weber created the Probation Station in 2014, where she explains Flordia’s statues, brings in former inmates and addresses various aspects of probation. People can also call in with questions.
“I’ve sort of built a curriculum about what the terms of probation are,” Weber said. “I can help them and guide them in the right direction. I’ve always focused on the word ‘rehabilitation,’ because it’s the right thing to do.”
Weber was a probation officer with the DOC for six years before frustration and burnout led her to quit in 2007. Instead, she took up work as a paralegal, focusing primarily on getting offenders off probation early. When she returned to the neighborhood where most recognized her as a probation officer, many flocked to her for advice, which gave her the idea for her radio show.
In her spare time, Weber feeds the homeless, does work as a victim advocate and volunteers at a program for teen mothers. She also speaks to high school students once a month.
“Teens to people in their 50s and 60s attend and want to know about plea bargains and their rights,” Weber said. “This show took an unexpected twist. It’s been insane.”
Probation Station airs on ExcitementRadio.com on Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m.