Facts about Probation
A probation officer can perform any function assigned to him or her by the court.
Officers sought to provide moral leadership to help shape probationers' attitudes and behavior with respect to family, religion, employment, and free time.
Most all jurisdictions require officers to have a four year college degree, and prefer a Graduate level degree for full consideration for probation officer positions on the Federal level.
Probation officers are usually issued a badge/credentials and, in many cases, may carry concealed weapons and pepper spray for self protection or serving arrest warrants.
The chain-of-command usually flows to Deputy Chief or Assistant Director, then to Supervisor or Senior Probation Officer, then to the line probation officer.
In 1951, all the states in the United States of America had a working probation system and ratified the Interstate Compact Agreement.
The probation officer helps the offender adapt to living in the community; to guide and help them to behave in a lawful and responsible way.
Probation officers and parole officers function as agents or officers of the courts.
Second, according to the community protection criterion, the amount and type of supervision are determined according to the risk that the probationer will return to a life out of compliance with the law.
Probation Officers are expected to not only supervise an offender while he performs community service, but to also develop the community service plans themselves.
Probation Agencies have a loosely based paramilitary command structure and are usually headed by a Chief Probation Officer or Director.
Probation Officers who prepare pre-sentence reports must be especially skilled in gathering, organizing, and analyzing information.
Probation officers serve under the court system as the enforcing arm of the court's sentence of someone who has been placed on supervised probation.
The National Probation Service is charged with supervising offenders and compiling relevant data regarding offender supervision and its modern form was set out in April 2001, by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act.
Some Parole and Probation Officers supervise general caseloads with offenders who are convicted of a variety of offenses.
The concept of probation, from the Latin word probatio—meaning testing period—has historical roots in the practice of judicial reprieve.
Known as the Interstate Compact For the Supervision of Parolees and Probationers, the agreement was originally signed by 25 states in 1937.
Instead of being a counselor or therapist, the probation officer served as an advocate, dealing with private and public institutions on the offender's behalf.
Probation Officers, depending on the jurisdiction, may or may not also be Parole Officers.
Probation/Parole officers with law enforcement powers, technically classified as peace officers, must attend a police academy as part of their training and certification.
Probation began as a humanitarian effort to allow first-time and minor offenders a second chance.
The pursuit of rehabilitation as the primary goal of probation gave the officer extensive discretion in defining and treating the offender's problems.
Individuals on probation have been found guilty of the crimes with which they are charged.
Probation and parole are different forms of judicial leniency designed to alleviate costs for the penal system and offer the opportunity of rehabilitation to those found guilty of crimes.
During the 1920s through the 1950s, the major developments in the field of psychology led probation officers to shift their emphasis from moral leadership to therapeutic counseling.
Massachusetts developed the first statewide probation system in 1880, and by 1920, 21 other states had followed suit.