How to hire a probation officer

How to hire a probation officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step probation officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a probation officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new probation officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a probation officer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your probation officer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a probation officer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A probation officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, probation officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents probation officer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Probation Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Probation Officer	Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists monitor and work with probationers to prevent them from committing new crimes.	$14-33
   Child Protective Investigator	A child protective investigator is responsible for investigating incident reports for child-violating cases, collecting court evidence of child abuse, and keeping the child under safe custody for protection. Child protective investigators conduct field investigations by locating the area of concern, interviewing witnesses, and analyzing similar cases of violence... Show more	$17-29
   Probation And Parole Officer	A probation and parole officer is responsible for monitoring the activities and behavior of a probationary or paroled offender outside the prison, making sure they never commit crimes again or return to the life of crime. Part of their job is to study the offenders' criminal history, develop and recommend rehabilitation and treatment plans, coordinate other services, and ensure that the offender knows the conditions of their release... Show more	$14-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Criminal Justice
   • Mental Health
   • Rehabilitation
   • Juvenile Offenders
   • Community Resources
   • Court Orders
   • Community Agencies
   • Substance Abuse Treatment
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • Risk Assessments
   • Public Safety
   • Community Services
   • Community Supervision
   • District Court

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage significant DUI caseload to court-ordered and conditional probation completion.
   • Create comprehensive case plans that identify needs of offenders in order to facilitate public safety and rehabilitation of the offender.
   • Promote positive changes in offender behavior that have been release from TDCJ to pursue their sentence.
   • Assist in the screening and selection of GPS offenders that are release from custody as a condition of bond.
   • Clerk probate, guardianship, commitment and juvenile, prepare minutes, schedule hearings and draft legal documents and correspondence.
   • Complete pre-sentence interviews and investigations.

   More probation officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your probation officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A probation officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, probation officers' average salary in michigan is 45% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level probation officers earn 55% less than senior-level probation officers.
   • Certifications. A probation officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a probation officer's salary.

   Average probation officer salary

   $47,252yearly

   $22.72 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level probation officer salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average probation officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$62,491	$30
   2	District of Columbia	$58,582	$28
   3	Utah	$57,551	$28
   4	New York	$57,016	$27
   5	Massachusetts	$54,816	$26
   6	Arizona	$51,671	$25
   7	Minnesota	$49,261	$24
   8	Illinois	$49,259	$24
   9	Maryland	$49,182	$24
   10	Colorado	$48,252	$23
   11	Kansas	$48,177	$23
   12	New Mexico	$46,579	$22
   13	Ohio	$44,821	$22
   14	Maine	$44,654	$21
   15	Virginia	$42,627	$20
   16	Pennsylvania	$41,404	$20
   17	South Dakota	$41,055	$20
   18	North Carolina	$40,779	$20
   19	Georgia	$40,526	$19
   20	Oklahoma	$39,605	$19

   Average probation officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Reno, NV	$54,723	$26.31	2
   2	Dakota Holding Corporation	$52,070	$25.03
   3	Prince George County, Va	$51,185	$24.61
   4	Travis County	$49,236	$23.67	4
   5	Lake County	$49,155	$23.63	5
   6	Scott County, Iowa	$48,932	$23.52
   7	United States Courts	$46,734	$22.47	50
   8	San Bernardino County	$45,645	$21.94
   9	U.S. District Court	$45,644	$21.94
   10	Ramsey County	$45,632	$21.94
   11	COUNTY OF MERCED	$45,098	$21.68	2
   12	Anoka County	$44,977	$21.62
   13	Loudoun County Social Svc	$43,984	$21.15
   14	Alameda County	$43,594	$20.96	5
   15	Prince William County	$43,322	$20.83
   16	Frederick County	$43,204	$20.77	3
   17	State of West Virginia	$42,982	$20.66	22
   18	McLennan County	$42,705	$20.53	1
   19	City and County of Denver Government	$42,344	$20.36	1
   20	City of Topeka	$41,689	$20.04	6

4. Writing a probation officer job description

   A job description for a probation officer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a probation officer job description:

   Probation officer job description example

   Under supervision, investigates, counsels and provides continuous supervision for youth offenders to assist in their social and personal adjustment.
   * Aids in making plans for helping youth offenders with life adjustments.
   * Counsels youth offenders via office visits, employment visits, telephone inquiries, community contacts and correspondence.
   * Informs youth offenders of requirements of conditional release, such as office visits, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations.
   * Investigates activities of youth offenders to ascertain their level of readjustment to society. Investigates background histories of youth offenders; review court files, police reports and other pertinent reports to gather information.
   * May testify in court concerning matters pertaining to clients such as sentencing, trials, pleas, and violations of probation conditions.
   * Monitors and conducts surveillance of youth offenders.
   * Provides youth offenders with assistance in matters concerning detainees, sentences in other jurisdictions, and writs.
   * Writes reports detailing clients' progress and other reports/paperwork as necessary accurately completing them within established time frame.
   * Performs arrests of youth offenders who have violated the terms of their release, in accordance with statutory requirements.
   
   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   * Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
   * OR Two years of experience in researching criminal history records examining court records for criminal proceedings and in preparing report of findings
   * OR Two years of experience as a P.O.S.T. certified peace officer.
   
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   Preference will be given to applicants who, in addition to the minimum qualifications, possess one or more of the following:
   
   * Completion of an undergraduate degree in one of the following areas: Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Social Work, Education or a directly related field.
   * Three (3) or more years of professional experience in law enforcement as a Certified Peace Officer.
   
   THIS IS AN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
   
   THIS IS AN UNCLASSIFIED POSITION.
   
   THE SELECTED APPLICANT FOR THE POSITION WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REFERENCE CHECK AND CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK, WHERE APPLICABLE.
   
   PLEASE INCLUDE ALL RELEVANT JOB INFORMATION ON THE APPLICATION FOR CONSIDERATION.
   
   ALL APPLICATIONS WILL BE PRESCREENED.
   
   DJJ IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
   
   Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university OR Two years of experience in researching criminal history records, examining court records for criminal proceedings and in preparing report of findings OR Two years of experience as a P.O.S.T. certified peace officer.
   
   Additional Information
   
   * Number of Openings: 1
   * Advertised Salary: $37,103.00
   * Shift: Day Job
   * Posting End Date: Oct 21, 2022

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right probation officer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your probation officer job on Zippia to find and recruit probation officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit probation officers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new probation officer

   Once you've found the probation officer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new probation officer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a probation officer?