Students and professionals that seek a rewarding career that combines aspects of public safety, social work, and law enforcement are ideal candidates for parole officer jobs in New York. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision works in conjunction with the Division of Parole to provide employment opportunities for parole officers and facility parole officers.
Sponsored School(s)
- Parole Officers: Parole officers usually work in field offices stationed in major cities throughout the state. The main objective of parole officers is to provide assistance and guardianship to offenders that have been released from a correctional institution but must remain under community supervision for a determined amount of time.
- Facility Parole Officers: Faculty parole officers work with offenders that are currently serving prison sentences within correctional institutions but are under parole consideration. The main objective of facility parole officers is to help inmates prepare to meet with the Board of Parole. These workers may also aid inmates by coordinating details regarding their release plan, final discharge and supervision arrangement.
Education and Experience Qualifications by Position
According to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, probation officers must hold at least a bachelor’s degree plus three years of work experience in the role of a social worker or group worker. Experience must be gained from an established agency that provides social service, human welfare, correctional service, criminal justice or community service.
On the other hand, parole officer trainees must hold a bachelor’s degree in sociology, psychology, law, criminal justice, counseling, rehabilitation counseling or American studies. Those with a degree in American studies must have degree concentration in Native American, Black, Asian Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or Latin American/Caribbean cultural studies as well.
Parole Officer Employment Specifications
Although the eligibility requirements for those looking to learn how to become parole officers and parole officer trainees in New York are slightly different, applicants for either position must successfully pass the Civil Service Examination. These examinations are only offered every four years. Once the examination is completed, candidates are added to an official list of qualified applicants from which all positions are filled. In addition, parole officers and parole officer trainees must:
- Have New York State residency
- Have a valid state driver’s license
- Have United States citizenship
- Be at least twenty-one years old
- Meet physical, medical and psychological standards
- Submit to background investigation
Employment Statistics for Parole Officers in New York
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that probation officers, correctional treatment specialists, and parole officers will experience an 18% growth in employment from 2010 to 2020. In 2012, there were 4,470 such professionals working in New York State. The region with the highest concentration of these workers was the metropolitan area of New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island (NY-NJ-PA), which employed 3,810 of the occupational workforce at that time. Addition regional employment statistics include:
- New York-White Plains-Wayne (NY-NJ): 2,120
- Nassau-Suffolk (NY): 500
- Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown (NY): 240
- Buffalo-Niagara Falls (NY): 220
- Syracuse (NY): 160
- Utica-Rome (NY): 150
- Binghamton (NY): 60