The Guilford County JCPC reported that the number of juvenile crimes in the county has largely remained the same in recent years. In 2006, the number of juvenile adjudications in Guilford County totaled 525. This number rose to 620 in 2007, but fell to 513 in 2009. Substance abuse played a major role in many of these crimes with drug or alcohol use indicated in 43 percent of juvenile adjudications. Lack of nurturing home environment was also a strong influence, with 21 percent of juvenile delinquents classified as runaways.
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Guilford County has made significant progress in curtailing gang involvement by youths. In 2006, the number of youths who professed to gang associations was 10.5 percent; by 2008, this had dropped to 8.7 percent. There were 238 juvenile complaints in 2008 for youths who identified as gang members. The majority—63.4 percent—of these complaints were for misdemeanor crimes.
Training and Qualifications to Become a Juvenile Probation Officer in Guilford County, North Carolina
Juvenile probation officer jobs in Guilford County, North Carolina may be found through the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The North Carolina Office of State Personnel website offers the latest job postings.
The minimum requirements for becoming a juvenile probation officer in Guilford County include:
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must live within 30 miles of the county where supervision is performed
- Must possess a valid North Carolina motor vehicle license
- Must have a bachelor’s degree in one of these subjects
- Psychology
- Social work
- Correctional services
- Criminal justice
- Human services
- Must have one year of professional experience in parole or probation supervision
- Must be eligible for gun ownership and use
- Must be capable of completing officer training including self-defense courses
Upon hiring, new officers must complete 217 hours of training which will include courses in
- Firearms training
- Legal system
- Probation law
- Interpersonal communication
- Processing cases
- Interstate compact
- Case management
- Understanding offender behavior
- Drug identification
- Counseling methodologies
Recruits must score a 70 or higher on the exit exam and qualify with a firearm. In following years, officers must maintain their certification by demonstrating continued proficiency with firearms.
Guilford County’s Juvenile Justice System
Guilford County juvenile probation is under the jurisdiction of the Division of Juvenile Justice within the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Juvenile probation and parole officers supervise youths aged six to 17 who have been sentence to probation or aftercare following a period of detention. These officers work closely with Guilford County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, which was formed in all North Carolina counties following enactment of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998. This law combined a variety of governmental agencies into a single organization along JCPCs to better respond to juvenile delinquency.