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Probation Officer Careers

Read about the job of a probation officer, including education, certification, and probation officer salary.

Probation Officer At a Glance

Job Description

In the U.S., there are probation officer careers at the city, county, state, or federal level.

Depending on the jurisdiction, probation officers may or may not also be parole officers. Although they don’t wear uniforms, probation officers are usually issued a badge and may carry concealed weapons and pepper spray for protection.

Serving as the link to a variety of social services, probation and parole officers perform the following duties:

• They help their clients find the counseling, education, jobs, and housing necessary to become fully rehabilitated
• They strive to keep offenders drug- and alcohol-free, and prevent them from recommitting crimes
• They write reports to provide judges with important information to pronounce an appropriate sentence for each offender
• Testify at pretrial and parole board hearings to help explain their reports
• Responsible for investigating any violations of court-ordered sentences

To get a probation officer job, you’ll need excellent oral and written communication skills, and a broad knowledge of the criminal justice system. You’ll gain these skills in all accredited criminal justice degree programs. Officers must also be able to work with an extremely diverse population and wide variety of government agencies and community organizations, and accept the potential hazards of working closely with a criminal population.

Probation Officer Education

To become a probation officer, you’ll need a 4-year bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, social work, psychology, or a related area. Many parole and probation officers have a master’s degree in criminal justice. In addition to their training, federal officers must also have at least two years of work experience.

Probation Office Salary by State

With the added education requirements and required work experience, probation officers generally make more than correctional officers, with the figures below reported by the BLS.

Probation Officer Salaries Across the U.S.

Here are the top-paying cities and metro areas for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists:

_{Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Occupational Employment Statistics.}

_{The salary information listed is based on a national average, unless noted. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors. National long-term projections of employment growth may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.}