Entrusted with the important duty of rehabilitating young criminal offenders, probation officers are hired through the Los Angeles County Department of Probation, and have the option of working in the juvenile field. These rehabilitative specialists manage all juvenile probation operations throughout the city and county of Los Angeles, working out of the two probation divisions serving LA County:
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- Field Division: Officers will conduct surveillance operations, provide counseling, and make supervision visits to assigned juveniles.
- Residential Treatment and Detention Division: Officers deal primarily with youths placed in treatment, detention, or other residential facilities, and assist with supervision.
Meeting the Minimum Conditions for Employment
Juvenile probation officers in Los Angeles need to meet certain minimum qualifications in order to be considered in the application process. To begin with, California requires all its probation officers to have a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited institution. Candidates for LA County juvenile probation officer jobs must also meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a valid California Class C driver’s license or be able to use an alternate form of transportation to complete assignments
- Obtain a California Class B driver’s license within 90 days of hire
- No felony or domestic violence convictions
Juvenile Probation Officer Training
Officers who make it through the selective hiring procedure have passed the first significant hurdle on the road to careers with Los Angeles juvenile probation. Once hired, the next step in the process is to learn how to become a juvenile probation officer through the successful completion of formal training. This is comprised of a minimum of 170 hours – or just over one month – of full-time training. Subjects covered include:
- The juvenile justice system and processes
- Liability and jurisdiction
- Indications of family violence and gang affiliation
- Juvenile detention system
- Juvenile casework, court reporting, and investigative techniques
- Control, arrest, and search techniques; self-defense
Los Angeles County Application Procedure
The LA County Human Resources Department only accepts applications made online. Candidates can find a probation officer vacancy posting on the LA County Human Resources Department’s jobs website, and proceed according to the directions as detailed in the announcement. Once the HR department has determined a candidate’s application is complete and the minimum job requirements have been met, the candidate will be scheduled to take a civil service exam.
The General Examination is a civil service test for those who apply for LA County jobs, and evaluates basic skills such as reading comprehension, spelling, and grammar. The county offers an online preparation guide for consideration, and upon successful completion applicants will be ranked according to their score and qualifications.
The application process may include a background check, medical evaluation, and drug test.
The LA County Probation Department is looking for the most qualified and skilled applicants to fill juvenile probation officer jobs, as these individuals will have a lasting impact on the local community.
Areas Covered Under the Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Division
Juvenile probation officers provide coverage not only to the city of Los Angeles, but all the areas of Los Angeles County, including the cities of:
- Long Beach
- Glendale
- Santa Clarita
- Lancaster
- Palmdale
- Pomona
- Torrance
- Pasadena
- El Monte
- Downey
- Inglewood
- West Covina
- Norwalk
- Burbank