What does an adult probation officer do?
An adult probation officer works with offenders, monitoring their behavior and activities to prevent them from committing crimes. Part of their job is to evaluate the offenders' criminal history and overall profile to determine and develop rehabilitation and treatment plans, arrange suitable programs or refer them to other services, coordinate with the offender's family and friends, and facilitate regular drug tests and other examinations. Moreover, an adult probation officer is also responsible for conducting regular interviews with the offenders and their families, communicating with programs to verify the offenders' compliance, and preparing progress reports and records.
Adult probation officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real adult probation officer resumes:
- Manage significant DUI caseload to court-ordered and conditional probation completion.
- Enforce sex offender registration, obtain DNA samples and review GPS electronic monitoring system.
- Supervise offenders on probation and parole, complete social histories/assessments/investigations for the sentencing court or parole board, case management.
- Conduct DNA and urinalysis on clients.
- Administer DNA indexing and random drug testing on probationers.
- Review referral history and other JJIS data for accuracy and conduct data collection for statistical purposes within establish rules.
Adult probation officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Adult Probation Officers are proficient in Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Mental Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Emotional stability, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Adult Probation Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Criminal Justice, 10%
Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional (CCJP) issued by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium.
- Social Work, 10%
School resource officer, social work communication, evaluated and monitored juvenile offenders.
- Mental Health, 8%
Collaborate with agency conducting detailed mental health needs assessment.
- Court Orders, 5%
Ensured that defendants remained law-abiding and complied with court ordered conditions of probation.
- Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Contacted local law enforcement agencies if a probationer reported with an active warrant or witnessed them engaging in criminal activity.
- Community Resources, 5%
Coordinated with the Department of Juvenile Corrections and other community resources to support Juvenile Probation activities.
"criminal justice," "social work," and "mental health" are among the most common skills that adult probation officers use at work. You can find even more adult probation officer responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an adult probation officer to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what adult probation officers do because "probation officers and correctional treatment specialists must be able to effectively convey information to different types of people, including clients and their families, lawyers, judges, and treatment providers." Additionally, an adult probation officer resume shows how adult probation officers use communication skills: "submitted monthly statistical and performance reports on the status of individual caseloads, to keep supervisor updated which allowed close communication. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for adult probation officers to perform their duties. For an example of how adult probation officer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "probation officers and correctional treatment specialists must be able to manage multiple cases at the same time." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an adult probation officer: "supervised over 3000 adult offenders, which requires excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills. ".
The three companies that hire the most adult probation officers are:
- Alaska State Library2 adult probation officers jobs
- Maricopa County1 adult probation officers jobs
- Denton County1 adult probation officers jobs
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Compare different adult probation officers
Adult probation officer vs. Treatment specialist
The duties of a treatment specialist depend on their line of work or industry of employment. In the medical industry, a treatment specialist is primarily responsible for developing treatments according to the needs and conditions of a patient. They gather and analyze a patient's medical history and records, conduct extensive tests and examinations, coordinate with other medical experts, and discuss the extent of treatments to patients. Furthermore, a treatment specialist must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, adult probation officer responsibilities require skills like "court orders," "law enforcement agencies," "substance abuse treatment," and "criminal history." Meanwhile a typical treatment specialist has skills in areas such as "rehabilitation," "substance abuse," "behavioral issues," and "mental illness." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Treatment specialists tend to make the most money working in the non profits industry, where they earn an average salary of $44,419. In contrast, adult probation officers make the biggest average salary, $45,894, in the government industry.treatment specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than adult probation officers. In fact, treatment specialists are 3.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Adult probation officer vs. Parole agent
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that adult probation officer responsibilities requires skills like "substance abuse treatment," "community services," "social history," and "crisis intervention." But a parole agent might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "conduct investigations," "parole," "caseload management," and "revocation hearings."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Parole agents tend to reach similar levels of education than adult probation officers. In fact, they're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Adult probation officer vs. Correctional casework specialist
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an adult probation officer is likely to be skilled in "criminal justice," "social work," "mental health," and "community resources," while a typical correctional casework specialist is skilled in "board reports," "legal data," "criminal cases," and "office equipment."
Most correctional casework specialists achieve a higher degree level compared to adult probation officers. For example, they're 10.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Adult probation officer vs. Parole supervisor
Even though a few skill sets overlap between adult probation officers and parole supervisors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an adult probation officer might have more use for skills like "social work," "mental health," "court orders," and "substance abuse treatment." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of parole supervisors require skills like "administrative functions," "correctional," "disciplinary actions," and "performance evaluations. "
The average resume of parole supervisors showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to adult probation officers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 4.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.5%.Types of adult probation officer
Updated January 8, 2025
