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Probation Officer

Probation officers prepare reports on criminal cases for courts. They manage the sentences of parolees and supervise community-based offenders.

 

Tasks & duties

Probation officers may do some or all of the following:

  • talk to offenders, their families and others about the offender's background
  • prepare remand, reparation and pre-sentence reports on the background of offenders for court cases and the judges involved
  • prepare reports on prisoners who are being considered for parole
  • make recommendations about appropriate programmes and treatment
  • manage parole, home and community detentions, supervision and community work, and post-detention conditions
  • supervise people serving sentences in the community, including people on electronically-monitored home detention and community detention
  • match sponsoring organisations to people serving community work sentences
  • work with offenders on issues that might be linked to their offending such as drug and alcohol, or violence and anger problems
  • refer offenders to suitable treatment/counselling agencies
  • write reports about the progress of offenders
  • identify and approve community work projects
  • help decide if cases will go to court

 

Skills & knowledge

Probation officers need to have:

  • good communication skills
  • analytical and report-writing skills
  • basic computer skills

 

Entry requirements

To become a probation officer you need to comply with the Department of Corrections' criminal conviction policy – you will not be considered if you have received a custodial sentence.

You also need to have a current driver's licence, and be able to drive a manual vehicle.

 

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary educational requirements, but School Certificate or NCEA Level 1 is preferred.

 

Tertiary education

There are no specific tertiary educational requirements; however, a tertiary degree or suitable experience is preferred.

 

Training on the job

Skills are gained on the job. The Department of Corrections provides training for new probation officers.

 

Useful experience

Useful experience for probation officers includes any community or voluntary work involving contact with people of all backgrounds.

 

Related courses

Criminology
Psychology

 

For more information, please refer to Career Services.

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