Occupation · SOC 21-1092
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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Annual openings
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per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 4
Typical preparation
Considerable preparation
Stackable credential programs
430 mapped
Core skills
Social PerceptivenessActive ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionComplex Problem SolvingWritingMonitoring
Knowledge areas
Law and GovernmentPublic Safety and SecurityEnglish LanguagePsychologyTherapy and Counseling
Technology & tools
Calendar and scheduling softwareProject management softwareOffice suite softwareData base user interface and query softwareCustomer relationship management CRM software
Representative tasks
Prepare and maintain case folder for each assigned inmate or offender.Gather information about offenders' backgrounds by talking to offenders, their families and friends, and other people who have relevant information.Interview probationers and parolees regularly to evaluate their progress in accomplishing goals and maintaining the terms specified in their probation contracts and rehabilitation plans.Discuss with offenders how such issues as drug and alcohol abuse and anger management problems might have played roles in their criminal behavior.Supervise people on community-based sentences, such as electronically monitored home detention, and provide field supervision of probationers by conducting curfew checks or visits to home, work, or school.Investigate alleged parole violations, using interviews, surveillance, and search and seizure.Arrange for medical, mental health, or substance abuse treatment services according to individual needs or court orders.Develop liaisons and networks with other parole officers, community agencies, correctional institutions, psychiatric facilities, and aftercare agencies to plan for helping offenders with life adjustments.Recommend remedial action or initiate court action in response to noncompliance with terms of probation or parole.Administer drug and alcohol tests, including random drug screens of offenders, to verify compliance with substance abuse treatment programs.Inform offenders or inmates of requirements of conditional release, such as office visits, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations.Participate in decisions about whether cases should go before courts and which court should hear them.Conduct prehearing and presentencing investigations and testify in court regarding offenders' backgrounds and recommended sentences and sentencing conditions.Write reports describing offenders' progress.Arrange for postrelease services, such as employment, housing, counseling, education, and social activities.Provide offenders or inmates with assistance in matters concerning detainers, sentences in other jurisdictions, writs, and applications for social assistance.Develop and prepare packets containing information about social service agencies, assistance organizations, and programs that might be useful for inmates or offenders.Develop rehabilitation programs for assigned offenders or inmates, establishing rules of conduct, goals, and objectives.Recommend appropriate penitentiary for initial placement of an offender.Assess the suitability of penitentiary inmates for release under parole and statutory release programs and submit recommendations to parole boards.Identify and approve work placements for offenders with community service sentences.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Case folders for assigned offenders — compile and organize under direct supervisor guidance within a correctional or community supervision office.Offender background information — gather through structured interviews with clients, families, and collateral contacts using agency-provided protocols.Probation contract terms — review and explain to newly assigned probationers during intake appointments under supervisory oversight.Drug, alcohol, and anger management history — document in intake assessments by following standardized screening tools in a community corrections setting.Curfew check procedures — assist in conducting scheduled home and workplace visits alongside an experienced officer in a field supervision context.Case management software and databases — enter client data and update records accurately using agency CRM and office suite tools under direction.Applicable probation and parole statutes — identify and reference relevant law and government regulations when preparing basic case documentation.Referral resources for medical, mental health, and substance abuse services — locate and compile lists of available providers according to supervisor instruction.Written case notes and progress summaries — draft in clear, accurate language following agency formatting standards with editorial review by a senior officer.Scheduling and calendar software — use to track client appointment compliance and curfew obligations within a structured caseload management system.
developing
Ongoing case files for a full caseload of probationers and parolees — maintain current and audit-ready with routine accuracy in a community supervision office.Regular progress interviews with probationers and parolees — conduct independently to assess goal attainment and contract compliance on an established schedule.Behavioral risk factors including substance abuse and anger management — discuss with offenders using motivational interviewing techniques in one-on-one supervision sessions.Electronically monitored home detention participants — supervise by analyzing monitoring data and conducting unannounced field visits across assigned geographic areas.Alleged parole violations — investigate through structured interviews, records review, and surveillance using agency protocols with limited supervisory input.Remedial action recommendations — prepare and submit to the court or parole board when probationers demonstrate noncompliance with established supervision conditions.Community treatment referrals for mental health and substance abuse — arrange and coordinate according to individual client needs and court-ordered requirements.Social perceptiveness and active listening skills — apply during client interviews to detect deception, assess emotional state, and identify emerging risk factors.Inductive and deductive reasoning — use when synthesizing background information from multiple sources to formulate individualized case plans in a correctional treatment context.Spreadsheet and project management software — utilize to track caseload milestones, compliance metrics, and appointment trends across an assigned client portfolio.
proficient
Complex, high-risk caseloads involving co-occurring disorders and violent offense histories — manage autonomously by integrating legal, psychological, and social service knowledge in community and institutional settings.Comprehensive presentence investigation reports — research, author, and deliver to courts, synthesizing offender background data, risk assessments, and evidence-based recommendations.Non-routine violation investigations involving surveillance, search and seizure, and multi-agency coordination — lead independently in accordance with constitutional and statutory requirements.Court actions in response to serious probation or parole violations — initiate and present with supporting documentation in formal legal proceedings.Individualized rehabilitation plans addressing criminogenic needs — develop and continuously evaluate by applying therapy, counseling, and behavioral science principles to diverse offender populations.Interagency service coordination across medical, mental health, substance abuse, and housing providers — negotiate and manage to meet complex court-ordered and individually assessed needs.Critical thinking and complex problem solving — apply when resolving competing legal, safety, and rehabilitative demands in high-stakes supervision decisions without supervisory escalation.Quantitative and qualitative case data — analyze using database query and spreadsheet tools to detect systemic compliance patterns and inform evidence-based supervision adjustments.Written reports, correspondence, and legal documents — produce with precision and professional authority for courts, parole boards, and partner agencies in high-consequence contexts.Time management and caseload prioritization strategies — implement across a full, autonomous caseload to ensure timely court submissions and field supervision requirements are consistently met.
advanced
Agency-wide supervision policies and evidence-based practice standards — develop and implement to align correctional treatment operations with current criminological research and legal mandates.Probation and parole officer teams — mentor, coach, and evaluate to build departmental competency in risk assessment, motivational interviewing, and violation investigation procedures.Interorganizational partnerships with courts, treatment providers, law enforcement, and community stakeholders — establish and sustain to expand rehabilitative resources available to supervised populations.Organizational case management and data systems — design selection criteria for and oversee implementation of CRM, scheduling, and database platforms across a division or department.Strategic resource allocation for caseload equity, officer safety, and community public safety outcomes — direct at an organizational level by analyzing aggregate performance and workload data.Ethical standards, integrity protocols, and compliance frameworks — model and enforce across the workforce to uphold public trust in community corrections and institutional supervision.Policy proposals and legislative recommendations — author and present to government bodies, drawing on law, public safety research, and field-level operational experience.Crisis response and critical incident protocols — lead the design and implementation of for high-risk offender populations in coordination with law enforcement and emergency services.Organizational training curricula on topics including risk-needs assessment, cultural competence, and legal compliance — develop and deliver to newly hired and experienced officers across the agency.Program evaluation and performance measurement systems — oversee to assess long-term recidivism, treatment engagement, and supervision outcome trends at an organizational or jurisdictional scale.
Also known as
104 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Juvenile Supervision OfficerCritical Skills Operator (Marine Corps 0372)Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Operations Chief (Marine Corps 0393)Correctional Casework SpecialistCrime Prevention WorkerInfantry Unit Leader (Marine Corps 0369)Navy Drug and Alcohol Counselor Intern (Navy 810B)Special Reconnaissance Craftsman (Air Force 1Z471)Prisoner Classification InterviewerCorrectional Case ManagerTruant OfficerMental Health Service Superintendent (Air Force 4C091)Juvenile Probation Parole SpecialistJuvenile CounselorSpecial Investigations (Air Force 7S0X1)Parole SpecialistMental Health Service Apprentice (Air Force 4C031)Adult Probation OfficerCorrectional CounselorProbation-and-Parole OfficerJuvenile Correctional OfficerMental Health Service Journeyman (Air Force 4C051)Military Police (Marine Corps 5811)Probation OfficerCorrectional OfficerDetention OfficerSpecial Reconnaissance Apprentice (Air Force 1Z431)Mental Health Service Manager (Air Force 4C000)Substance Abuse Control Specialist (Marine Corps 0149)Special Reconnaissance Superintendent (Air Force 1Z491)Juvenile Justice SpecialistSecurity Forces (Air Force 3P0X1)Prisoner-Classification InterviewerDetention AttendantMaster-At-Arms (Navy MA)Special Investigations Helper (Air Force 7S011)Juvenile Probation OfficerMental Health Service Helper (Air Force 4C011)Community Corrections SpecialistNavy Drug and Alcohol Counselor (Navy 810C)