Over 3,100 juveniles were arrested in Jefferson County in 2009. In Kentucky as a whole, 55.9% of the juveniles that came under the purview of the Division of Juvenile Justice received a sentence of probation in 2010.
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“Juvenile service worker” is the title given to juvenile probation officers in Kentucky. The efforts of these officers have been highly successful, since the recidivism rate of Kentucky youth was only 5.24% in 2010.
How to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer in Jefferson County
The requirements to become a juvenile probation officer in Jefferson County include having a bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields or a related one:
- Marriage and family therapy
- Psychology
- Social work
- Sociology
Applicants must also have a valid driver’s license when they apply and for the duration of their career as juvenile probation officers.
Newly hired employees of the Division of Juvenile Justice learn how to become juvenile probation officers through two types of training. First is an orientation for new employees that takes 40 hours. This is followed by on the job training for slightly less than 80 hours. This training must be completed with six months of having been hired. To continue in their careers, juvenile probation officers must receive 40 hours of training a year.
Juvenile Crime in Jefferson County
The primary reason that youths were arrested in Jefferson County in 2009 was for larceny-theft. Over 35% of the total number of juvenile arrests this year were for this type of crime.
The second and third largest categories of arrests in 2009 were other assaults (distinguished from manslaughter by negligence, which had no arrests) and drug offenses. Each category represented less than 13% of the total arrests.
The numbers of juvenile who committed the most serious crimes were much lower. Four juveniles were arrested for murder and four for arson, while eight were arrested for forcible rape.
In 2007, Jefferson County had the greatest number of juvenile arrests of the counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It should be noted that Jefferson is also the largest county in the Commonwealth. When ranked by rate of arrests per 1,000 juveniles, its ranking was lower. It ranked tenth in arrests for Part II crimes and second for arrests in the more serious category of Part I crimes.