Adult Probation Officer

Why It's a Great Opportunity:

As a professional with experience in and understanding of justice involved individuals, you have the unique opportunity to make a difference in the community. As an Adult Probation Officer 2, you will use your case management experience and de-escalation skills to complete risk assessments, interview and write reports, complete investigations, provide court testimony, and most importantly supply resource navigation and connection.

Pierce County District Court (PCDC) is committed to administering criminal justice in ways that are both effective and efficient. We focus on improving outcomes for justice-involved individuals by addressing the whole person and identifying and responding to their risks and needs rather than treating them as cases to manage. From our therapeutic courts to our probation division, we apply evidence-based best practices.

Our workforce reflects the diversity of the community we serve, and we continually work to enhance equity and public service.

The mission of Pierce County District Court, as an independent and impartial branch of government, is to promote respect for law, society and individual rights; provide open, accessible and effective forums for dispute resolution; resolve legal matters in a just, efficient and timely manner and assure the dignified and fair treatment of all parties. Pierce County District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction hearing the following cases:

• Traffic and non-traffic infractions
• Criminal and criminal-traffic misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors
• Civil matters for damages for injury to individuals or personal property, and contract disputes no greater than $100,000
• Small claims for recovery of money not to exceed $10,000
• Name changes
• Antiharassment protection orders
• Stalking protection orders

We are looking for candidates who have some knowledge or understanding of the following: working with justice-involved veterans, domestic violence dynamics, substance use and mental health issues and their connection to criminal activity. This role requires exceptional communication, time and stress management as well as a focus and desire on improving outcomes for justice-involved individuals

As you develop, this role has robust training where you will spend the majority of your time with assigned supervisors and officers from various units. You will learn the processes for each of the units as well as be trained in the core functions of probation. In office training will include:
Administering Risk Assessments, Investigations, Report Writing, Interviewing, Testifying in Court, Resource Navigation, Substance Use Recognition, RCW/WAC reviews. Mandatory Misdemeanant Probation Academy Training will be scheduled within the first year.

As a condition of employment, the applicant will need to authorize and complete a background check. Information received from the background check is reviewed case-by-case and will not necessarily remove an applicant from consideration.

• Observe and document offender appearance and behavior. Note speech tone and characteristics.
• Conduct criminal record history review.
• Assess problem areas, including chemical dependency, domestic violence and mental illness issues and sexual deviancy issues.
• Conduct pre-sentence investigations and prepare pre-sentence reports on complex and multi-problem cases; identify problem areas; present sentencing recommendation to the court.
• Develop and implement individual probation plans to meet conditions set by the court, and may assist, when directed by supervisory staff, other probation officers in this function.
• Supervise offenders with more serious and multiple problems; provide assistance for offenders regarding matters that may affect individual probation plans; provide direction regarding treatment programs.
• Prepare written reports to and/or appears in court on routine and complex cases of unusually serious consequence; use sound judgment in making recommendations to the court.
• Maintain contact and correspondence with the court, community agencies, offenders, physicians, treatment sources, and other applicable interests in order to supervise compliance and progress of cases; maintain comprehensive log of contacts, information obtained and actions taken relative to cases. Manage case files and filing.

To view the complete classification, remove the HTML and view the full description in the official repository.

• A Bachelor's Degree in a related field. A course study in Sociology, Psychology, or Criminal Justice with concentration in the social/behavioral sciences is preferred.
• Three years of investigation or social casework experience, including two years at a level equivalent to an Adult Probation Officer 1. The Adult Probation Officer 1 classification can be viewed elsewhere.

• A valid Washington State driver's license may be…