The city of Bangor is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Maine, and also has one of the largest juvenile offender populations in the state. In total, there are an average of about 600 juvenile arrests made in the state each year, the majority of which are put on probation. The juvenile offenders are supervised via seven offices located throughout Penobscot County:
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- Main Office (Bangor)
- Calais Sub-Office
- Dover- Foxcroft Sub-Office
- Ellsworth Sub-Office
- Houlton Sub-Office
- Lincoln Sub-Office
- Presque Isle Sub-Office
All of the juvenile probation services in Penobscot County are categorized under the third region of the Juvenile Community Corrections division of the State of Maine Department of Corrections.
Education and Experience Requirements in Penobscot County
In order to be qualified for juvenile community corrections officer jobs in Penobscot County and throughout the third region, applicants must first met a basic set of requirements and qualifications. No applicant will be considered for the position if they do not meet the requirements, which include education standards.
Education – In order to become a juvenile community corrections officer, applicants must have a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university as recognized by the state. The degree must be in criminal justice, the behavioral sciences, the social sciences or a field of study that is closely related to one of those subjects.
Experience – In combination with the degree, applicants must also have at least six months of experience in a field that involves case management, working with delinquent youth or counseling. Also, an equivalent amount of combined education, volunteer, training and work experience may be substituted for the degree and six months of work experience requirement.
Juvenile Community Corrections Officer Training in Penobscot County
Once an applicant completes the hiring process they will then be required to attend training before becoming a full-time employee with the State of Maine Department of Corrections. During the first year of employment with the main office or one of the sub-offices, a recruit is required to complete 80 hours of training. The training involves communication skills, case management and investigation techniques, arrest procedures, conflict resolution and report filing, among many other skills needed to perform the job in the proper manner. The 80 hours of pre-service training is then followed by six months of on-the-job training, which is provided by a mentor who has veteran experience with juvenile probation procedures.
Since juvenile community corrections officers are not authorized to carry firearms, there is no need for weapons training and there is no certification needed to perform the job.
After the first year of employment, including the six months of training under a mentor, juvenile community corrections officers are required to complete an additional 40 hours of training each year they serve the Juvenile Community Corrections division of the State of Maine Department of Corrections.