A juvenile probation officer oversees many aspects of a juvenile's life. When a youth is placed on probation in the United States, they are typically assigned to a juvenile probation officer. This officer designs a plan that will help the youth to become a successful member of the community. Education, medical concerns and court mandates are addressed by the probation department, as are family issues. The juvenile's probation may likely include home visits by a probation officer as well as office visits to the probation department. These are designed to monitor the offender's adherence to the probation plan.
When a juvenile probationer has committed an act of violence, failed to show for school or otherwise disregarded a condition of probation, the juvenile probation officer will contact the youth and discuss the non-compliance with the rule. The youth can be reprimanded by the probation officer or taken into custody and brought before a judge to discuss the infraction. In most instances, the officer will attempt to work with the juvenile and find a way to get the plan back on track.
Kindness, fairness and compassion are traits of a juvenile probation officer. The officer must have good communication skills — both verbal and written — as well as basic problem-solving skills. A primary duty of the probation officer is to work within the community to ease the youth productively into society. This can involve the youth finding employment or counseling and often substance abuse treatment or education is involved. In some metropolitan areas, the juvenile probation officer may even participate in gang removal efforts.
In most areas, the juvenile probation officer has obtained a college degree as well as some job-specific training through the probation department. In more cases than not, the juvenile probation officer is hired through the court system with some areas requiring approval from a judge to even apply for the position. While many parole officers carry firearms, the majority of probation officers do not. In most cases the juvenile probation officer does have the authority to hold a client and transport them to jail or to a youthful offender program.
Long hours and a heavy caseload are the norm for most probation officers. Many officers experience positive results from their clients; however, the recidivism rate for youthful offenders is very high. Working with the youth's families is often a difficult job at best and often a dangerous one as well. Home visits and family counseling requires that the officer enter the family's domain. This often gives the officer the greatest insight into their clients' behavior patterns.
