In FY2010, there were 1,029,751 juveniles, ages 8 to 17, in Arizona. Of those juveniles, 41,040 (4.6 percent) were referred, at least once, to the Arizona juvenile courts. This means that 1 out of 25 juveniles were referred to juvenile courts in FY2010, which speaks to the need for qualified probation officers in Arizona.
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Minimum Employment Requirements for Juvenile Probation Officer Careers
in Arizona
To qualify for Arizona juvenile probation officer jobs, all candidates must be at least 21 years old and must be a United States citizen.
Further, all candidates must possess, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree, preferably in one of the behavioral sciences fields.
It is also preferred that candidates have at least one year of experience in a related field, such as criminal justice, counseling or social work.
All candidates must undergo a pre-employment physical and medical evaluation, a criminal history, check, a drug screen, and a background investigation.
How to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer in Arizona through Training: Certification Standards
All probation officers in Arizona must be certified through the Committee on Probation Education (COPE), which administers the following programs:
- Probation Certification Academy
- Detention Officer Academy
- Intensive Probation Institute
- Faculty Skills Development
- Defensive Tactics and Firearms Training
COPE is responsible for all certification of juvenile probation officers in Arizona. All new probation officers must attend the certification academy, which provides a basic training program.
To achieve certification as a probation officer in Arizona, candidates must be hired by any probation department in Arizona, complete the certification academy, complete at least one year of employment, and receive a recommendation from the Director of Juvenile Court Services or their chief probation officer.
About Arizona Probation Supervision
Probation supervision in Arizona refers to both informal probation and intensive probation supervision. The local juvenile courts in Arizona administer all standard probation services, which are managed by the Directors of Juvenile Court Services.
Seven counties in Arizona have both juvenile and adult offender departments. Probation officers in these counties may have a caseload of only juvenile offenders or both adult and juvenile offenders.