The Miami-Dade community corrections office is the largest of its kind in Florida and supports more probation and parole officer jobs than any other office in the state. The Miami-Dade community corrections circuit office is responsible for monitoring more than 13,000 offenders, which is nearly 2,000 more than any other office in Florida. There are more than 5,000 inmates incarcerated in Miami-Dade County with an incarceration rate of 2.1 per 1,000 residents. The probation and parole operations in Miami-Dade are supervised by the State of Florida Department of Corrections. There are 10 offices under the supervision of the Miami circuit, which includes nine in the city of Miami and one additional office in Florida City.
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Minimum Qualifications and Recruitment Process
While different jobs within Miami-Dade’s probation and parole system require different qualifications and requirements, there are minimum qualifications that every applicant must meet, including the following:
- Must be at least 19 years of age
- Must be a United States citizen
- Must have at least a bachelor’s
- Must not have any felony convictions of misdemeanor convictions related to perjury or false statement
- If an applicant has military experience they must not have had a dishonorable discharge for any reason
In order to begin a probation and parole officer career in Miami-Dade, Florida, applicants must go through a comprehensive hiring process. The process begins with completing an application, and then if the applicant is deemed to be qualified for the job they must complete a series of interviews, a physical exam, a mental health examination and a series of other evaluations and tests. Testing includes a Civil Service Examination conducted by the Florida Department of Corrections.
How to Become a Probation and Parole Officer in Miami: Training
Through training, probation and parole officers will learn skills in community outreach, communication skills, law enforcement tactics, investigation and research, report writing, criminal psychology, sociology and social work, among many other subjects and skills. There is additional training required for firearms if an officer decides to carry one.
During the first year of training, officers are required to complete 640 hours of training, and then 40 hours of training every subsequent year. After the first year of training, probation officers are certified by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.
In Florida, firearms are not mandatory for probation and parole officers. Officers in Miami-Dade are required to re-qualify once a year in order to carry and operate their firearm while on duty. There may be additional training and seminars that officers must attend if state probation and parole guidelines are modified in any way.