Probation officer vs adult probation officer

The differences between probation officers and adult probation officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a probation officer and an adult probation officer. Additionally, a probation officer has an average salary of $47,252, which is higher than the $46,598 average annual salary of an adult probation officer.

The top three skills for a probation officer include criminal justice, mental health and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an adult probation officer are criminal justice, social work, and mental health.

Probation officer vs adult probation officer overview

	Probation Officer	Adult Probation Officer
Yearly salary	$47,252	$46,598
Hourly rate	$22.72	$22.40
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	55,952	56,961
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a probation officer do?

A probation officer is responsible for monitoring probationers' cases, evaluating terms, and overseeing rehabilitation processes. Probation officers strategize probational operations, as well as recommending treatment plans to achieve probational objectives. They also maintain progress reports, deciding on release requirements and other conditional services to motivate the probationers on adhering to their treatment procedures. A probation officer assesses the probationers' behaviors during the probationary period, regularly interacting with them to identify their challenges, and administering remedial actions.

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.

Probation officer vs adult probation officer salary

Probation officers and adult probation officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Probation Officer	Adult Probation Officer
Average salary	$47,252	$46,598
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $69,000	Between $30,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	Nevada	Nevada
Best paying company	Hamilton	Lake County
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between probation officer and adult probation officer education

There are a few differences between a probation officer and an adult probation officer in terms of educational background:

	Probation Officer	Adult Probation Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	California State University - Long Beach

Probation officer vs adult probation officer demographics

Here are the differences between probation officers' and adult probation officers' demographics:

	Probation Officer	Adult Probation Officer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6%	Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 2.1% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between probation officer and adult probation officer duties and responsibilities

Probation officer example 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.

Adult probation officer example responsibilities.

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.

Probation officer vs adult probation officer skills

Common probation officer skills

Criminal Justice, 12%
Mental Health, 10%
Rehabilitation, 6%
Juvenile Offenders, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Court Orders, 5%

Common adult probation officer skills

Criminal Justice, 10%
Social Work, 10%
Mental Health, 8%
Court Orders, 5%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Community Resources, 5%

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Probation Officer vs Adult Probation Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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