Probation Officer

Job Opportunities

Job opportunities for criminal justice careers such as a probation officer or correctional treatment specialist is expected to grow between 9-17% through 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Labor:

• Job opportunities depend primarily on the amount of government funding that is allocated to corrections, and especially to probation systems.
• Many openings will be created by the large number of these workers who are expected to retire.
• Mandatory sentencing guidelines calling for longer prison sentences and reduced parole for inmates have resulted in large prison population increases.
• Budgetary constraints, court decisions, and doubts about the guidelines’ effectiveness could put more emphasis in many States on rehabilitation and alternate forms of punishment, such as probation, spurring demand for probation and parole officers and correctional treatment specialists.
• Community supervision is far less expensive than keeping offenders in prison, but a change in political trends toward more imprisonment could result in reduced employment opportunities.

Basic job responsibilities

The basic job responsibilities of a probation officer or correctional treatment specialist may include:

• supervising criminal offenders, some of whom may be dangerous.
• interacting with many other individuals, such as family members and friends of their clients, who may be angry, upset, or difficult to work with.
• doing fieldwork in high-crime areas or in institutions where there is a risk of violence or communicable disease.
• doing fieldwork in high- rime areas or in institutions where there is a risk of violence or communicable disease.
• traveling to meet with offenders who are on probation or parole.
• carrying a firearm or other weapon for protection.
• being on call 24 hours a day to supervise and assist offenders at any time.
• collecting and transporting urine samples of offenders for drug testing.

Work environment

A probation officer or correctional treatment specialist can be employed in several work environments:

• jails and prisons
• parole and probation offices
• offenders homes and work places

Correctional treatment specialist

A probation officer supervises people put on probation instead of parole. A correctional treatment specialist refers to a person who counsels criminal offenders just released from prison or on parole.

A parole officer supervises offenders who have been released from prison, while a probation officer works with those who have received probation instead of prison. In many cases, the jobs of a parole officer and probation officer are combined.

Other related criminal justice careers include: social worker, police officer and detective, federal agent such as the F.B.I., plus correctional officer and crime scene investigator.

A probation officer—

• supervises people who have been sentenced to probation.
• seeks the assistance of community organizations, such as religious institutions, neighborhood groups, and local residents, to monitor the behavior of many offenders.
• monitors the location and movements of offenders who are required to wear an electronic device.
• arranges for offenders to get substance abuse rehabilitation or job training.
• usually works with either adults or juveniles exclusively.
• works for the courts, to investigate the backgrounds of the accused, write presentence reports, and recommend sentences.
• reviews sentencing recommendations with offenders and their families before submitting them to the court.
• testifies in court as to findings and recommendations.
• attends hearings to update the court on offenders' efforts at rehabilitation and compliance with the terms of their sentences.

Requirements for a probation officer or correctional treatment specialist:

• counsels and creates rehabilitation plans for offenders to follow when they are no longer in prison or on parole.
• evaluates the progress of inmates in jails and prison.
• develops parole and release plans with inmates, probation officers, and other agencies.
• provides case reports to the appropriate parole board when their clients are eligible for release.
• plans education and training programs to improve offenders' job skills.
• provides inmates with coping, anger management, and drug and sexual abuse counseling.

Correctional treatment specialist

• A bachelor's degree in social work, criminal justice, or a related field is usually required.
• Some employers require previous experience or a master's degree in criminal justice, social work, psychology, or a related field.
• Applicants must pass written, oral, psychological, and physical examinations.
• Usually required to complete a training program sponsored by their State government or the Federal Government, after which a certification test may be required.
• Should be in good physical and emotional condition.
• Most agencies require applicants to be at least 21 years old and for federal employment, not older than 37.
• Those convicted of felonies may not be eligible for employment in this occupation.
• Familiarity with the use of computers often is required due to the increasing use of computer technology in probation and parole work.
• Should be knowledgeable about laws and regulations pertaining to corrections.
• A probation officer or correctional treatment specialist should have strong writing skills because they are required to prepare many reports.