The thirty-five juvenile probation officers of Ada County have helped many area juveniles refrain from committing further criminal offenses. In this county, members of the Field Probation Unit supervise male juvenile probationers, while members of the Female Offender Unit supervise the female offenders.
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Juvenile probation officers in Ada County are part of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, which also includes the counties of Elmore, Boise, and Valley.
The requirements to become a juvenile probation officer vary throughout Idaho, but Ada County they include having a four-year college degree.
POST Training to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer in Ada County
New employees of Ada County learn how to become juvenile probation officers through several phases of training. The first phase involves undergoing 80 hours of basic training at the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Juvenile Probation Academy.
To graduate from this academy and start their jobs as juvenile probation officers, students must pass the POST certification examination for this type of position. They are given two chances to pass this examination and must have a minimum score of 75%.
Agency Training to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer in Ada County
Once newly hired juvenile probation officers have satisfactorily completed their academy training, they must receive formal instruction on the job. Specialized Field Training Officers instruct the officers for at least 40 hours. They start by giving the trainee an orientation of the facility, including a flow chart of the organization.
Other topics of study include the following:
- Legal and liability issues
- Court procedures and protocol
- Written skills
- Case management
Trainees are monitored weekly on how they apply their knowledge, along with their:
- Appearance
- Cooperation and loyalty
- Interest and attitude
- Public contact
- Judgment
Continued On-the-Job Training for Juvenile Probation Officers in Ada County
Once juvenile probation officers in Ada County are established in their careers, they are required to have at least 20 hours of training or course work a year. This must include the following topics:
- The Idaho Juvenile Corrections Act
- Balanced Approach
- Report writing
- Probation officer safety
- Statutes and rules of the state and county
- Status offender supervision
- Case supervision for populations of different risk levels
- Gender specific case supervision