Rockville is the central location for the Metro Region of the Department of Juvenile Justice Services division of the Maryland Department of Corrections. Along with the Rockville office, there are also offices in Silver Springs, Largo and Upper Marlboro, as well as two juvenile probation facilities: the Alfred D. Noyes Children’s Center in Rockville and the Cheltenham Youth Facility in the city of Cheltenham.
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In total, these offices and facilities provide probation services to 6,150 juvenile offenders in the region, which covers Montgomery County, Washington County and Prince George’s County.
Facility Operations in the Metro Region
While the division offices serve mainly as case managers for juveniles on probation, some of the offenders are required to complete rehabilitative and counseling programs at one of the two facilities in the metro region:
- The Alfred D. Noyes Children’s Center has 57 juveniles (41 male, 16 female) and provides them with counseling and other services for a juvenile population charged with violations of probation, mostly related to theft, burglary and assault charges.
- The Cheltenham Youth Facility serves as a center for juveniles awaiting probation hearings, and has a population of 115 males. The center provides medical, psychological, nutritional and counseling services, as well as recreational space.
Juvenile Probation Officer Duties
While duties at the facilities and at the offices vary from position to position, all juvenile probation officer jobs in Montgomery County involve following the same procedures and practices. Juvenile probation officers in Maryland do not have peace officer status, which means they are not authorized to make arrests of juvenile offenders and are not authorized to carry a firearm.
Officers are expected to monitor and investigate juvenile offenders places under the supervision, as well as to refer offenders to resources that will help them complete their probation sentence, be rehabilitated and go on to live productive lives.
Education Requirements
In order to become a juvenile probation officer in Montgomery County, Maryland, and the rest of the Metro Region, applicants must meet the education requirements. All applicants for juvenile probation officer jobs in Montgomery County and the surrounding area must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college.
While there is no stated requirement for the field of study, those with a degree in criminal justice, social sciences and behavioral sciences are preferred. Also those with relevant work, volunteer or internship experience are also given preference during the first stages of the hiring process.
Training to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer
Once hired, entry-level employees are required to complete 320 hours of training at the Department of Corrections training academy. The training includes how to work with at-risk youth, communication skills, report filing, investigation and rehabilitation techniques and conflict resolution, among many other skills, techniques and departmental procedures.
After the first year of employment, officers are required to complete an additional 40 hours of training each year that they work as a juvenile probation officer in the state of Maryland.