Probation Officer II

Government of the Virgin Islands; Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted (United States Virgin Islands, United States Virgin Islands); On-site; USD 46,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Government of the Virgin Islands seeks a probation professional to supervise a caseload, counsel offenders, and facilitate rehabilitation in the community. You will interview, assess, and refer clients to social services while documenting status changes and outcomes.

The role involves court appearances, monitoring conditions, and coordinating with agencies to ensure compliance and public safety. Certification training completes at the Virgin Islands Police Academy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the behavioral sciences.
• Three to five years’ experience in law enforcement, criminal justice, or social services is preferred.
• Additional relevant training in substance abuse preferred.

Responsibilities

• Interviews offender, family, victim, and witnesses for presentence reports and rehab plan.
• Confers with legal representatives and reviews offender history documents.
• Compiles reports, testifies in court, and recommends release or institutionalization.
• Monitors compliance with court-ordered conditions and conducts field visits.

Skills

Interviewing

Counseling

Report writing

Court procedures

Education

Bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences

Tools

Firearm handling

Handcuffs

Pepper spray

Baton

Job description

This is responsible professional probation work in providing casework services in an adult probation program. Duties include supervising a reasonably manageable caseload. Employees also investigate, supervise, and counsel individuals on or anticipating probation to facilitate their personal, social, and economic adjustment in the community. Employees in this class counsel adult offenders in activities related to legal conditions of probation. Work also involves supervising persons on parole who are paroled from a sentence imposed by the Territorial Court. The Probation Officer II designation signifies individuals who have completed certification training at the Virgin Islands Police Academy.

Responsibilities

• Interviews offender, family members, victim(s), and witnesses in order to obtain information relevant to the preparation of presentence reports and to formulate a rehabilitation plan.
• Confers with legal representatives (such as, Attorney General, defense attorney, public defender) when necessary and reviews documents pertaining to legal and social history of offender.
• May appear as a witness at probation or parole revocation hearings and may testify before the court or parole board.
• Compiles and prepares reports, testifies in court, and makes recommendations concerning conditional release or institutionalization of offender.
• Informs offender or guardian of legal requirements of conditional release, such as visits to office, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations.
• Counsels offender and family or guardian, assists offender in securing employment, arranges for custodial care, and refers offender to social resources within the community to aid in rehabilitation.
• Refers probationers to social services, mental health and substance abuse agencies, temporary housing, family counseling centers, legal aide and community service agencies.
• Monitors offender’s compliance to court-ordered and standard conditions imposed, including making field visits to home, places of employment, and treatment programs/service providers.
• Maintains an accurate running record of all contacts and any status changes, such as, re-arrests, convictions, revocations, expirations, and terminations.
• Responsible for monitoring curfew violations, executing warrants, and processing complex felony cases.
• Maintains monthly statistics of all clients, field visits, home visits, and referral to other agencies.
• Supervises parolees as part of the assigned caseload; assists with pre-trial releases.
• Attends court hearings, such as, sentencing, advice of rights, arraignments, order to show cause, motion for reduction of sentence, calendar call, plea hearings and jury trials or at the request of a judge.

Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the behavioral sciences. Three to five years’ experience in law enforcement, criminal justice, or social services is preferred. Additional relevant training in substance abuse preferred.

Age Requirements

At least age 20 and not having reached 46th birthday

Licensure

Possession of a current driver’s license valid in the U.S. Virgin Islands is required.

Certification

Certification of completion of training at the Virgin Islands Police Academy is required. Periodic recertification is required.

Other Requirements

Must be at least age 21.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the principles of adult probation work and related court procedures.
• Knowledge of criminal behavior and psychology.
• Knowledge of adult behavior and family dynamics.
• Knowledge of the social, cultural, economic, psychological and legal issues influencing the attitudes and behaviors of clients and their families.
• Knowledge of relevant Territorial law.
• Knowledge of interviewing and counseling techniques.
• Knowledge of community resources available to probationers, parolees, and their families.

Ability

• Ability to persuade assigned probationers and their families to work for positive behavioral changes.
• Ability to prepare accurate and reliable reports containing findings, conclusions, recommendations, and justifications.
• Ability to accurately document contacts/observations.
• Ability to assess client needs, risks and substance abuse behavior.
• Ability to organize time and effectively manage workload.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the probationers/parolees and their families, chief territorial probation officer and probation staff, judges, private and public human service agencies; professional groups, the public, and Board of Parole.
• Ability to maintain the confidentiality of information.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Ability to be perceptive, versatile, flexible yet firm and matter of fact when necessary.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to deal with upset, angry, and emotionally charged people and resolving conflicts.

Skills

• Skill in the operation of a personal computer with word processing applications.
• Skill in the use of a firearm, handcuffs, pepper spray, and baton.