How to become a probation officers and correctional treatment specialist
Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.
Steps to get there
Most employers expect most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not..A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
What probation officers and correctional treatment specialists do
- Gather information about offenders' backgrounds by talking to offenders, their families and friends, and other people who have relevant information.
- Discuss with offenders how such issues as drug and alcohol abuse and anger management problems might have played roles in their criminal behavior.
- Supervise people on community-based sentences, such as electronically monitored home detention, and provide field supervision of probationers by conducting curfew checks or visits to home, work, or school.
- Develop liaisons and networks with other parole officers, community agencies, correctional institutions, psychiatric facilities, and aftercare agencies to plan for helping offenders with life adjustments.
- Inform offenders or inmates of requirements of conditional release, such as office visits, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations.
- Write reports describing offenders' progress.
Skills that matter most
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
Is probation officers and correctional treatment specialist a good career?
On the numbers, this job pays above the typical job. Median pay is 30% above the all-occupation median. Whether it fits you depends on the work itself, the schooling you are willing to do and where you want to live.
Where it pays most
- California $103,640
- Connecticut $97,350
- Massachusetts $94,590
- Oregon $84,920
- Vermont $83,820
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists salary by state and city
Sources: O*NET® 31.0 (CC BY 4.0, USDOL/ETA) and BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025.