The title of probation officer is used for the official who works for the courts as an agent. Probation as a connotation refers to a period of time given to a criminal by the court during which he has to behave well and not to commit any more crimes in order to avoid being sent to prison. Thus, in short, probation is a period in which an individual convicted of criminal conduct has to establish his reputation before the court by strictly avoiding any further misconduct. The probation officer is a person who has to monitor regularly the activities of those people who have been declared on probation by the court. The probation officers work under the jurisdiction of the competent court in a country. Within their own department they are in the subordination of their officer called director or the Chief Probation officer. The probation department is large enough to accommodate many administrative offices and there is an order of hierarchy in the department. For example there are Chief Probation Officer, Deputy Chief, Assistant Director, Supervisor or Senior Probation Officer, and lastly the probation officer.


The nature of the duties assigned to the probation officers may vary. For example, some Probation Officers are given the charge to oversee offenders who are convicted of a variety of crimes. But some probation officers are assigned special duties. They have to watch specific groups of criminals such as Sex criminals, criminals with severe mental health, substance abuse, and the criminals having violent histories. Apart from the main concern of vigilance, a probation officer also investigates and supervises the people who have not yet been sentenced to a term of imprisonment. The probation officers also investigate criminal’s personal and criminal history for the Court reference prior to sentencing.


Unlike the police officers, there is no binding on the probation officer to wear uniform. They usually dress themselves in casual or routine dresses. But for their identity, they are given badges and their identification papers to introduce themselves whenever needed. They are also given weapons but usually they do not show these weapons and keep them concealed under their garments. A probation officer has to perform all the duties assigned to him by the concerned authorities of his department as well as he has to comply with the orders given to him by the court. However, their major assignment is supervision and vigilance of the criminals on probation.


The recruitment criterion for the probation officer demands a four year graduate degree as the basic requirement. They should have excellent speaking and writing skills because of the nature of their jobs. They must have a thorough knowledge of the criminal justice system of their respective countries so that they avoid any possible mistake on their part. The official liabilities of the probation officers also demand that they should know the roles, jurisdiction, relationships, and responsibilities of the courts. A good probation officer should understand the concerns and role of the departments like police, local jails, department of Corrections and the social services agencies.