United States Probation Officer

Summary

By statute, probation and pretrial services officers serve in a judiciary law enforcement position and assist in the administration of justice. Officers promote community safety, gather information, supervise defendant/offenders during traditional and non-traditional hours, interact with other agencies, conduct investigations, prepare reports, and present recommendations to the court.

Duties

United States Probation Officers perform a full range of duties and responsibilities including but not limited to, the following:

• Representative post-conviction supervision duties: Supervises individuals to maximize adherence to imposed conditions, reduce risk to the community, and to provide correctional treatment as necessary.
• Develops and implements supervision plans.
• Contacts persons under supervision through office and community visits and by telephone.
• Investigates employment/sources of income, lifestyle and associates, which will help to assess risk and compliance factors.
• Responsible for detection of substance abuse and implementing the necessary treatment or violation proceedings when appropriate.
• Communicates with other relevant stakeholders concerning the behavior of persons under supervision and their conditions of supervision.
• Detects and investigates violations and implements appropriate alternatives and sanctions; reports violations to the appropriate authorities.
• Prepares reports, which may include application of U.S. Sentencing Commission revocation guidelines.
• Makes recommendations to the court concerning disposition.
• Testifies at revocation hearings.
• Representative presentence investigation duties: Investigates, prepares reports, and makes recommendations for sentencing of individuals in the court, which requires interviewing defendants and their families, as well as collecting background data from various sources.
• An integral part of this process is the interpretation and application of the U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines and relevant case law.
• Submits presentence report and sentencing recommendations to the court.
• Responds to judicial officers’ requests for information and advice.
• Analyzes any objections to the presentence report and determines appropriate course of action, including resolving disputed issues and/or presenting unresolved issues to the court for resolution.

Requirements

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PROBATION OFFICERS:

• First time appointees to the position of United States Probation Office must undergo an extensive government background investigation.
• Further, prior to appointment, the selectee considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screening, the selectee may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the Court.
• In addition, as a condition of employment, incumbents will be subject to ongoing random drug screening, updated background investigations every five years, and, as deemed necessary by management for reasonable cause, may be subject to subsequent fitness-for-duty evaluations.
• The medical requirements and the essential job functions derived from the medical guidelines for probation officers, pretrial services officers, and officer assistants are available for public view at http://www.uscourts.gov.
• Probation Officers must successfully complete a six-week national training program at the United States Courts National Training Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Charleston, South Carolina.
• OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Applicants must be United States Citizens or eligible to work in the United States and have a valid driver’s license.
• Applicants must not have reached his/her 37th birthday at the time of appointment and must meet physical standards.
• Candidates selected for interviews will be required to participate in job-related testing as part of the screening process.
• The applicant will be subject to a criminal background record check and consumer credit check before an employment offer is made.
• The U.S Probation Office requires employees to adhere to a Code of Conduct which is available for review at www.uscourts.gov.
• Direct Deposit is required for payment of compensation for employees.

Education

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university, in a field of study involving criminal justice, psychology, sociology, human relations, social work, business, public administration, or related field.

How You Will Be Evaluated

All applications will be reviewed to identify the best qualified candidates.

Benefits

Employees of the United States Probation Office are not subject to the regulations of the Civil Service Commission.

They are, however, federal employees of the Judicial Branch and are entitled to most of the same benefits as other federal government employees, such as: Up to 13 days paid vacation per year for the first three (3) years of employment, thereafter, 20 to 26 days per year, dependent upon the length of federal service A minimum of eleven (11) paid holidays per year Mandatory participation in the federal retirement system and social security program Optional participation in the federal health insurance program of your choice Optional vision and dental programs are offered Optional participation in the flexible spending program for health and childcare Optional participation in a group life insurance program Retirement – Basic Benefit (FERS employees) Thrift Savings Plan – Automatic Contribution 1% of Basic Pay for FERS employee and employee matching up to an additional 4% of Basic Pay When computing leave accrual and retirement benefits, time in service with other federal agencies and time for prior military service is taken into consideration.

Required Documents

The application packet consists of:

Cover letter Resume (two-page maximum) AO78, Federal Judicial Branch Application for Employment (The Optional Background Information on Page 5 of the application is required for this position.)