Probation officer

Probation officers supervise offenders after their release, or who were sentenced to penalties outside of incarceration. They write reports providing advice on the offender’s sentence and analysis concerning possibilities of reoffense. They aid the offenders during the rehabilitation and reintegration process and ensure the offenders carry out their community service sentence when necessary.

The following job titles also refer to probation officer:

prison department social worker
probation services officer
parole officer

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as probation officer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Probation officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to probation officer.

prison instructor
supreme court judge
prosecutor
criminologist
judge

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of probation officer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of probation officer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of probation officer.

These skills are necessary for the role of probation officer.

Identify available services: Identify the different services available for an offender during probation in order to help in the rehabilitation and re-integration process, as well as advising the offenders as to how they can identify services available to them.
Perform risk analysis: Identify and assess factors that may jeopardise the success of a project or threaten the organisation’s functioning. Implement procedures to avoid or minimise their impact.
Maintain relationship with suppliers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
Enable access to services: Enable access to the different services which may be available to people with precarious legal status such as immigrants and offenders on probation in order to secure their inclusion in a facility or program, and communicate with the service providers to explain the situation and convince them of the advantages of including the individual.
Ensure sentence execution: Ensure, by contacting the parties involved and monitoring and handling progress and follow-up documentation, that legal sentences are followed as they were issued, such as ensuring that fines are paid, goods are confiscated or returned, and offenders are detained in the appropriate facility.
Develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements: Create professionally written content describing products, applications, components, functions or services in compliance with legal requirements and internal or external standards.
Advise on legal decisions: Advise judges, or other officials in legal decision-making positions, on which decision would be right, compliant with the law and with moral considerations, or most advantageous for the adviser’s client, in a specific case.
Assess offenders’ risk behaviour: Assess and monitor the behaviour of offenders to gauge whether they pose any further risk to society, and what their chances for positive rehabilitation are, by assessing the environment they’re in, the behaviour they show, and their efforts in rehabilitation activities.
Apply knowledge of human behaviour: Practice principles related to group behaviour, trends in society, and influence of societal dynamics.
Mentor individuals: Mentor individuals by providing emotional support, sharing experiences and giving advice to the individual to help them in their personal development, as well as adapting the support to the specific needs of the individual and heeding their requests and expectations.
Reinforce positive behaviour: Reinforce positive behaviour in people during rehabilitation and counseling activities, to ensure that the person takes the necessary actions for positive results in a positive manner, so that they remain encouraged to continue their efforts and reach goals.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of probation officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Criminology: The study of criminal behaviour, such as its causes and nature, its consequences, and control and prevention methods.
Law enforcement: The different organisations involved in law enforcement, as well as the laws and regulations in law enforcement procedures.
Psychological counselling methods: The various psychological counselling, training and coaching methods for persons of all ages, groups and organizations considering medical aspects.
Criminal law: Th legal rules, constitutions and regulations applicable for the punishement of offenders.
Legal research: The methods and procedures of research in legal matters, such as the regulations, and different approaches to analyses and source gathering, and the knowledge on how to adapt the research methodology to a specific case to obtain the required information.
Court procedures: The regulations which are in place during the investigation of a court case and during a court hearing, and of how these events occur.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of probation officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Provide social counselling: Assist and guide social service users to resolve personal, social or psychological problems and difficulties.
Compile legal documents: Compile and collect legal documents from a specific case in order to aid an investigation or for a court hearing, in a manner compliant with legal regulations and ensuring records are properly maintained.
Analyse legal evidence: Analyse evidence, such as evidence in criminal cases, legal documentation regarding a case, or other documentation that can be regarded as evidence, in order to obtain a clear image of the case and reach resolutions.
Present evidence: Present evidence in a criminal or civil case to others, in a convincing and appropriate manner, in order to reach the right or most beneficial solution.
Oversee rehabilitation process: Oversee the rehabilitation process of offenders during their stay in a correctional facility, to ensure that they follow the instructions, show good behaviour, and work towards full re-integration when they are released.
Provide testimony in court hearings: Provide testimony in court hearings regarding a variety of social matters and other events.
Interview people: Interview people in a range of different circumstances.
Show empathy: Show empathy in order to prevent any kind of symbolic violence and isolation and to guarantee a considerate attention to everyone. It should include a capacity to understand various verbal and non-verbal communication of sentiment and feeling.
Document evidence: Document all evidence found on a crime scene, during an investigation, or when presented in a hearing, in a manner compliant with regulations, to ensure that no piece of evidence is left out of the case and that records are maintained.
Advise on conflict management: Advise private or public organisations on monitoring possible conflict risk and development, and on conflict resolution methods specific to the identified conflicts.
Identify security threats: Identify security threats during investigations, inspections, or patrols, and perform the necessary actions to minimise or neutralise the threat.
Write situation reports: Write reports according to specifications and regulations of an organisation on the situation which needs to be reported on, such as the status of an investigation, of intelligence gathering, or of missions and operations.

2635 – Social work and counselling professionals

 

 

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References

1. Probation officer – ESCO