Community and social service
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
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.
Median pay
$66,270
Growth to 2035
+3%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
7,900
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists: 17% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Prepare and maintain case folder for each assigned inmate or offender.
- Gather information about offenders' backgrounds by talking to offenders, their families and friends, and other people who have relevant information.
- Interview probationers and parolees regularly to evaluate their progress in accomplishing goals and maintaining the terms specified in their probation contracts and rehabilitation plans.
- Discuss with offenders how such issues as drug and alcohol abuse and anger management problems might have played roles in their criminal behavior.
- 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.
- Investigate alleged parole violations, using interviews, surveillance, and search and seizure.
- Recommend remedial action or initiate court action in response to noncompliance with terms of probation or parole.
- Arrange for medical, mental health, or substance abuse treatment services according to individual needs or court orders.
Also called: Adult Probation Officer · Correctional Counselor · Deputy Probation Officer (DPO) · Juvenile Probation Officer · Parole Agent · Parole Officer (PO) · Probation Agent · Probation and Parole Officer
Outlook and AI
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists held 93,700 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 96,500 by 2035 (+3%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. Correctional officers and jailers
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. Social worker
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. First-line supervisor of correctional officers
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. Rehabilitation counselor
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. Mental health and substance abuse social workers
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. Social and human service assistants
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. Police officer
- Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists vs. Healthcare social worker