Juvenile Probation Officer I

Probation officers provide casework services to probationers at the direction of the Superior Court under the provisions of evidence-based practices and consistent with the Arizona Code of Judicial Administration.

Responsibilities

• Supervise caseloads of assigned probationers, meeting with them in their homes or at their places of school/work.
• Conduct interviews and social or pre-disposition investigations.
• Evaluate probationers' progress and perform searches.
• Make arrests as necessary.
• Build relationships to encourage compliance with case plans through frequent telephone, work/school site, and home contacts.
• Perform closely structured supervision and observation concerning compliance with conditions of probation, including directing and counseling probationers and parents/guardians.
• Conduct field contacts (home, work, treatment facilities, schools, community restitution, or detention) as part of a team.
• Direct and/or refer probationers and parents/guardians to community resources, treatments, or other interventions based on assessments and conditions of probation.
• Obtain, assemble, secure, and file complete identification records, including contact notes regarding compliance with terms of probation and case plans, to prepare written reports for the court.
• Participate in case review conferences to determine if a change in the level of supervision is warranted.
• Appear and testify in court.
• Monitor payment of restitution and probation fees, ensuring victims' notification rights are provided according to statutory requirements.
• Perform searches, breathalyzers/urinalysis collection, and make documented efforts to locate absconders.
• Serve warrants, make arrests, and bring persons before the court, including defaulting probationers facing revocation.
• Use authority of peace officers in the performance of duties.
• Respond appropriately and effectively in confrontational situations using defensive tactics and techniques learned at the Defensive Tactics Safety Training Academy.
• Demonstrate competency in physical and verbal defensive tactics techniques through proficiency testing, including:
  • Forcefully raising arms above head (straight arm wrist lock and takedown).
  • Performing minor aerobic activity.
  • Standing for up to 2 hours at a time.
  • Engaging in balanced movements.
  • Throwing hand strikes (fist strikes and palm heel strikes).
  • Using impact weapons (ability to swing arms in a striking action with a 16-ounce baton).
  • Kicking at targets below 24" (front snap kicks).
  • Performing controlled falls and returning to a standing position unassisted (break falls and recovery).
  • Completing hand strikes and kick drills at partial speed.
  • Sustaining exposure to Oleoresin (OC) spray.
  • Engaging in fighting techniques while on the ground.
  • Bending knees to lower center and touching the ground with one hand (break fall recovery and baton closing techniques).
  • Bending knees to a 45-degree angle (all ground techniques).

Requirements

• Be a United States citizen or legal resident.
• Possess a valid driver's license.
• Hold a bachelor's degree, preferably in behavioral sciences or a related field, from an accredited college or university.
• Be at least 21 years of age.
• Successfully pass background/reference checks, interviews, polygraph and/or drug testing, and pre-employment psychological examinations.
• Complete a 40-hour Defensive Tactics Training Academy within 120 days of employment.
• Demonstrate competency in physical and verbal defensive tactics techniques through proficiency testing.
• Complete eight hours of defensive tactics refresher training annually.
• Successfully complete the Probation Certification Academy and Intensive Probation Institute, if assigned, within the first 12 months of employment.
• Submit to a medical examination required by the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan.
• Successfully pass the following pre-employment checks:
  • Fingerprint and criminal history through the Arizona Criminal Justice Information System (ACJIS) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
  • Motor Vehicle Record (MVD) check in Arizona and any prior state of residence.
  • Department of Child Safety (DCS) Central Registry search for historical allegations of child abuse or neglect.
  • Mandatory urinalysis testing for illegal substances, including dangerous narcotics and cannabis.
  • Pre-employment psychological examination and physical fitness certification for duty.
  • Post-offer tuberculosis screening.
  • New hire drug tests for cocaine, opiates, amphetamines/methamphetamine, ecstasy (MDMA), oxycodone, heroin, alcohol, and cannabis/marijuana.

Skills

• Ability to operate motor vehicles, computers, telephones, radios, handcuffs, body armor, and other necessary equipment.
• Independent body mobility to stand, walk, bend, and sit for prolonged periods and/or drive a vehicle.
• Manual dexterity necessary to reach, grasp, handwrite, and use a computer.
• Vision sufficient to see and read.
• Hearing and speech sufficient to communicate in person and over the phone.
• Ability to withstand varying weather temperatures.
• Ability to lift, drag, push, and carry items of various weights.
• Skills in self-control, patience, initiative, courtesy, tact, and diplomacy to maintain effective relationships with a diverse population.
• Interviewing, motivating, and interpersonal relationship skills.
• Time management and organization with the ability to apply principles and methods of correctional casework.
• Critical analysis of individuals and situations to problem-solve and make sound decisions.
• Effective oral and written communication.

Preferred Knowledge and Abilities

• Knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice system and community resources.
• Diversion, standard, and juvenile and/or adult intensive probation and community supervision.
• Social and community corrections casework.
• Principles of adolescent and general human behavior.
• Evidence-based practices in community corrections.

Pay

$25.90 per hour, depending on qualifications.

Schedule

This is a 24-hour operation with shifts including day, evening, or overnight, depending on the needs of the division.

Benefits

• Corrections Officers Retirement Plan (CORP).
• 15 days of vacation, 12 holidays, and 15 days of sick leave annually.
• 12 weeks of 100% paid parental leave.
• Employer-paid short-term disability.
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per year.
• Health and wellness discount program.
• Mental and behavioral health benefits.
• Paid training with advancement opportunities.
• Upon yearly anniversary, 56 hours of unused sick time may be rolled over to vacation time.