Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Also called: Adult Probation and Parole Officer, Adult Probation Officer, Attendance Officer, Community Corrections Specialist, Community Supervision Officer, Correctional Case Manager, Correctional Casework Specialist, Correctional Counselor
Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole.
What probation officers and correctional treatment specialists do
Typical tasks
- Prepare and maintain case folder for each assigned inmate or offender.
- Gather information about offenders' backgrounds by talking to offenders, their families and friends, and other people who have relevant information.
- Interview probationers and parolees regularly to evaluate their progress in accomplishing goals and maintaining the terms specified in their probation contracts and rehabilitation plans.
- Discuss with offenders how such issues as drug and alcohol abuse and anger management problems might have played roles in their criminal behavior.
- Supervise people on community-based sentences, such as electronically monitored home detention, and provide field supervision of probationers by conducting curfew checks or visits to home, work, or school.
- Investigate alleged parole violations, using interviews, surveillance, and search and seizure.
- Recommend remedial action or initiate court action in response to noncompliance with terms of probation or parole.
- Arrange for medical, mental health, or substance abuse treatment services according to individual needs or court orders.
- Develop liaisons and networks with other parole officers, community agencies, correctional institutions, psychiatric facilities, and aftercare agencies to plan for helping offenders with life adjustments.
- Administer drug and alcohol tests, including random drug screens of offenders, to verify compliance with substance abuse treatment programs.
- Inform offenders or inmates of requirements of conditional release, such as office visits, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations.
- Participate in decisions about whether cases should go before courts and which court should hear them.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists salary
The median annual wage for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists is $66,270 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $46,840 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $107,790. The mean annual wage is $73,130.
The mean hourly wage of $35.00 is 4.8× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $66,270 → in 3 years $72,400 → in 5 years $76,800 → in 10 years $89,000 (10-year range $76,600–$103,400). The model assumes pay growth of +3.0% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists United States | 家庭裁判所調査官 Japan | 法務教官 Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $66,270 | ¥9.81M ≈ $62,392 | ¥5.03M ≈ $31,959 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $89,000 | ¥11.70M | ¥6.24M |
| Outlook score | 55 | 56 | 54 |
| AI replacement risk | 44% Moderate | 27% Low | 24% Low |
| Workers | 89K | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 4 — considerable preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.