Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

Human ServicesO*NET 21-1092.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $66,269
Projected change: +5.2%
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Employment: 90.77K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What probation officers and correctional treatment specialists do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Prepare and maintain case folder for each assigned inmate or offender.
Discuss with offenders how such issues as drug and alcohol abuse and anger management problems might have played roles in their criminal behavior.
Gather information about offenders' backgrounds by talking to offenders, their families and friends, and other people who have relevant information.
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.
Interview probationers and parolees regularly to evaluate their progress in accomplishing goals and maintaining the terms specified in their probation contracts and rehabilitation plans.
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.
Arrange for medical, mental health, or substance abuse treatment services according to individual needs or court orders.
Recommend remedial action or initiate court action in response to noncompliance with terms of probation or parole.
Investigate alleged parole violations, using interviews, surveillance, and search and seizure.
Inform offenders or inmates of requirements of conditional release, such as office visits, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations.
Administer drug and alcohol tests, including random drug screens of offenders, to verify compliance with substance abuse treatment programs.
Participate in decisions about whether cases should go before courts and which court should hear them.
Write reports describing offenders' progress.
Conduct prehearing and presentencing investigations and testify in court regarding offenders' backgrounds and recommended sentences and sentencing conditions.
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.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $46,842
25th percentile: $54,246
50th percentile: $66,269
75th percentile: $84,781
90th percentile: $107,786

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $66,269 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.2%average or slower

202590,770 jobs

2035 projected95,504 jobs

4,734 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree: 88%
Associate degree: 5.3%
Master's or Professional degree: 2.4%
Certificate: 1.7%
Some college: 1.7%
High school diploma or less: 0.9%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Probation
Social Work
Psychology
Case Management
Criminal Corrections
Law Enforcement
Sociology
Legal Hearings
Mental Health
Rehabilitation
Substance Abuse
Behavioral Science
Criminology
Juvenile Justice
Human Services
Social Sciences
Crisis Intervention
Risk Analysis
Evidence-Based Practice
Treatment Planning

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Probation Officers1,166 postings
02Probation and Parole Officers620 postings
03Juvenile Probation Officers462 postings
04Adult Probation Officers224 postings
05Parole Officers164 postings
06Deputy Probation Officers149 postings
07Correctional Treatment Specialist Case Managers139 postings
08Corrections Specialists111 postings
09Pretrial Services Officers109 postings
10Correctional Probation Officers93 postings
11Parole Agents92 postings
12Juvenile Justice Specialists89 postings
13Parole/Probation Specialists87 postings
14Adult Probation and Parole Officers83 postings
15Correctional Counselors80 postings
16Community Supervision Officers77 postings
17Juvenile Probation Parole Specialists75 postings
18Court Services Officers74 postings
19Victim Advocates68 postings
20Juvenile Court Counselors65 postings

Top employers

01State of Florida358 postings
02Department Of Corrections212 postings
03United States Department of Justice191 postings
04State of Missouri180 postings
05State Of Texas165 postings
06State of Louisiana161 postings
07State of Nebraska153 postings
08State Of Alaska141 postings
09State of South Carolina137 postings
10Commonwealth of Kentucky106 postings
11New Jersey Courts98 postings
12State of California97 postings
13State of Washington90 postings
14United States Federal Judiciary88 postings
15Correction82 postings
16State of Michigan71 postings
17Colorado Judicial Branch62 postings
18Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania61 postings
19State Of New Mexico54 postings
20State of Tennessee54 postings

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