One of the first things parole officer Kristen Powell asks new parolees is “How did you like prison?”

“They all hated it,” Powell said.

With a little over four months of experience on the job, Powell talks like a seasoned parole officer who clearly sees the role of the parole office and the parolees.

“It’s up to the releasee to make the choice ‘I don’t want to go back to prison,’” Powell said. “The parole officer is there to ensure they do the best they can.”

Powell, who was born in Dalton but grew up in Ellijay, is the newest parole officer at the Dalton office of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. She graduated from North Georgia College and State University in December.

Powell graduated from Georgia Public Safety Training Center last month, receiving the Academic Award for having the highest grade point average in her class. The nine weeks of training consisted of classes on constitutional law, parole board tactics, arrest techniques and firearms instruction.

Powell decided she wanted to be a parole officer while in college. The law enforcement field was a familiar one. Her mother, Margaret Huff, is a retired judge in Ellijay. Her father, Mike Huff, is a retired state trooper.

Her three older brothers and a younger sister are not in law enforcement.

“My parents didn’t want me to pursue the field because it is so dangerous,” Powell said.

Choosing to become a parole officer gave Powell direction.

“I had a hard time in college narrowing down my major,” she said. “I was conflicted between psychology or sociology.”

She chose to major in criminal justice and minor in sociology. Her background in psychology helps her when dealing with parolees.

“They come to you with their personal problems,” Powell said. “But they are hesitant to trust someone because they have been conned in the past.”

Powell is in a field that is still predominately male.

“We can see through things just as easily as the guys can,” Powell said. “That doesn’t concern me.”