Parole officer vs probation counselor

The differences between parole officers and probation counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a parole officer and a probation counselor. Additionally, a probation counselor has an average salary of $49,192, which is higher than the $45,474 average annual salary of a parole officer.

The top three skills for a parole officer include sex offenders, criminal justice and social work. The most important skills for a probation counselor are mental health, intake interviews, and substance abuse issues.

Parole officer vs probation counselor overview

	Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Yearly salary	$45,474	$49,192
Hourly rate	$21.86	$23.65
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	55,945	29,518
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Parole officer vs probation counselor salary

Parole officers and probation counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Average salary	$45,474	$49,192
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $66,000	Between $35,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	State of Connecticut	-
Best paying industry	Non Profits	-

Differences between parole officer and probation counselor education

There are a few differences between a parole officer and a probation counselor in terms of educational background:

	Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Parole officer vs probation counselor demographics

Here are the differences between parole officers' and probation counselors' demographics:

	Parole Officer	Probation Counselor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5%	Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.7% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 2.4% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 14.1% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.2% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between parole officer and probation counselor duties and responsibilities

Parole officer example responsibilities.

Manage significant DUI caseload to court-ordered and conditional probation completion.
Monitor clients every movement through GPS equipment provide by the division.
Perform random drug testing, monitor GPS equipment, install GPS monitoring on high risk offenders.
Perform superior case management responsibilities; serve subpoenas and request warrant issuance.
Comply information on clients' social and legal history in order to formulate effective rehabilitation strategies.
Prepare documents including information in computer base management system, warrants, subpoenas, other legal documents etc.

Probation counselor example responsibilities.

Manage significant DUI caseload to court-ordered and conditional probation completion.
Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Review referral history and other JJIS data for accuracy and conduct data collection for statistical purposes within establish rules.

Parole officer vs probation counselor skills

Common parole officer skills

Sex Offenders, 15%
Criminal Justice, 12%
Social Work, 8%
Public Safety, 8%
Substance Abuse, 6%
Mental Health, 5%

Common probation counselor skills

Mental Health, 15%
Intake Interviews, 7%
Substance Abuse Issues, 7%
Court Orders, 6%
Residential Facility, 6%
Community Services, 5%