After meeting the stringent hiring requirements and completing weeks of detailed training courses, Arapahoe County juvenile probation officers will be ready to begin their careers helping juvenile offenders learn how to become responsible members of the community; and even the future leaders of Arapahoe County. Juvenile probation officers are professionally trained public servants coming from an educational background that lends itself to a relevant understanding of juvenile problems and solutions.
Sponsored School(s)
Arapahoe County takes care of its juvenile probation officers, providing medical insurance, dental care, sick leave, paid vacations, a State Employee’s Credit Union, and many other benefits.
A recent bill passed by the Colorado legislature makes it harder for juveniles to be sentenced as adults, a move that is likely to increase the demand for juvenile probation officers in the future.
Required Minimum Education Standard
The Colorado State Judiciary Branch requires all applicants for juvenile probation officer jobs in Arapahoe to have at least a bachelor’s degree. Officers are responsible for handling at times very delicate and challenging situations with juvenile offenders, their families, and the victims of crime, and therefore applicants having an education background in the following subject areas receive preferential consideration:
- Criminal Justice
- Social Work
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Other closely related fields
New Officer Training Courses
Officers who have managed to navigate the application process will begin their new careers with not less than three training programs. First is the Basic Safety Course. Here new probation officers will learn how to become Arapahoe County juvenile probation officers with the following competencies:
- First aid, CPR, and blood borne pathogens
- Safety procedures
- Emergency situations
This course is followed by the New Employees Training Course that includes instruction in:
- State and local laws and procedures
- Jurisdiction and chain of command
- Employee resources
Finally officers will complete a 75-hour Probation Academy where they will delve into specific training and workshops such as:
- Juvenile risk assessment, intake, and rehabilitation planning
- Restraint and self-defense techniques
- Juvenile and adult probation philosophy
- Probation strategies, community resources, and surveillance
Applying and Working in Arapahoe County
Starting the application process is easy: candidates simply need to monitor the State Judiciary’s jobs website for any openings listed in Arapahoe County’s District 18 and under the title Probation Officer. After hire and training new probation officers will have the option of working with juvenile cases. The job announcement will provide candidates with instructions for making an application, either via the web or with a paper application.
Juvenile probation officers working in Arapahoe County will be immediately familiar with four key facilities in the county’s juvenile justice system:
- Juvenile Assessment Center in Centennial
- Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial
- Littleton Probation Office
- Aurora Probation Office
The annual yearly salary for a juvenile probation officer in Arapahoe County starts at $43,104 and goes up depending of experience. The Judicial Branch’s 18th District also includes the counties of Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln. Juvenile probation officers are therefore responsible for providing their services throughout the entire region, including in the cities of:
- Englewood
- Castle Rock
- Greenwood Village