Probation and parole officers in Sitka, Alaska help offenders to become rehabilitated and move back into society as responsible citizens of the city. However, their primary responsibility continues to be protecting public safety by making arrests for probation violations as necessary.
Job growth across Alaska is projected to be moderate with high employment opportunities, at least through the year 2020. Careers in the probation and parole field are expected to grow by 11.4 percent during this same time period
Getting the Right Education
Probation and parole officers working in Sitka and throughout the rest of Alaska are required to have a bachelor’s degree in any field, as long as it is from an accredited college or university, including criminal justice, social work, and psychology. However there are two acceptable substitutions for this requirement; candidates may also qualify by either:
- Having four years of work experience in:
- Probation and parole
- Criminal or juvenile justice
- Criminal investigations
- Law enforcement and public safety
- Social services
- Having work experience in the above mentioned areas plus some college or university education, that together total four years at a rate of three semester or four quarter credit-hours being equivalent to one month of experience.
Probation and Parole Officer Training in Sitka
A new career as a probation and parole officer in Sitka begins with a six-week, 240-hour intensive training academy. Here officers will learn the basics to become an effective and capable officer, and upon graduation will be certified as a probation officer according to regulations of the Alaska Police Standards Council. Instruction is provided in:
- Firearms and defensive tactics
- Conducting offender assessments and case management
- Arrests, searches, and restraints
- State Code and civil law
Officers will need to complete a firearms certification course every six months, and accrue an annual total of forty hours of continuing training each year.
Applying for a Career in Probations and Parole
Vacant probation and parole officer positions in Sitka are posted on the State’s jobs website. Candidates need to wait for advertised openings before they fill out an application, though it is always possible to create an online account, to begin the first step in the application process. Competitive applicants will be notified of their eligibility to continue in the application process, which proceeds as following:
- Criminal records check
- Interview
- Background investigation
- Conditional offer of employment
- Medical evaluation
- Psychological assessment