PROBATION
OFFICER (SPANISH SPEAKING) 6508
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS
This is the
entry-level professional position in the Probation Department responsible for
the control, supervision and care of adults and juveniles subject to probation
supervision, investigation or intake services which require them to meet
certain standards of conduct and whose primary language is the Spanish language
thereby requiring the probation investigation, supervision or intake services
to be conducted in Spanish. Incumbents are required to communicate with
clients, probationers and their families in Spanish and proficiency is required
in both Spanish and English. A Probation Officer (Spanish Speaking) performs
all the duties and exercises all the responsibilities of a Probation Officer;
however he/she does so in Spanish. The incumbent uses sound professional
judgment and applies investigative techniques to evaluate the conduct of those
subject to court ordered investigation, analyzes data, and makes
recommendations regarding court dispositions. The incumbent counsels and
coaches probationers and others receiving probation services to change patterns
of thinking and behavior to help promote and sustain law-abiding relationships
with society and to reduce the likelihood of becoming re-involved in criminal
or delinquent behavior. The employee may arrange for medical, mental health or
substance abuse treatment services. The employee may be assigned to a specialty
unit as an assistant to a Senior Probation Officer, handling less complex
assignments within the unit. Supervision is not a characteristic of this
position. The incumbent is supervised by a higher-ranking probation
professional. A Probation Officer is a Peace Officer pursuant to Criminal
Procedure Law Section 2.10 and may be authorized to carry a firearm in the
performance of his/her duties. Does related work as required.
TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES
All probation casework
supervision, investigation and intake work may be conducted in Spanish or
English and translation services may be provided as needed upon request;
Gathers, verifies, reviews
and analyzes social, medical, mental health, substance abuse, sex offender,
legal and other documentation and interviews defendants/respondents, victims,
law enforcement personnel and other case related individuals to conduct
pre-plea/pre-sentence/pre-disposition investigations;
Prepares reports and/or
testifies in court regarding persons awaiting disposition of the courts in
regard to the seriousness of the crime committed, the individual’s
circumstances and risk to self and society and the legally permissible
dispositional options and makes recommendations to court, as appropriate, for
or against detention, residential
placement or incarceration, as well as the length and conditions of probation;
Prepares case/supervision
plans and interprets conditions of probation to probationers;
Supervises and monitors
probationers assigned by the court and assists in their rehabilitation;
Conducts risk and need
assessments and evaluates results for pre-trial, investigation, and supervision
purposes;
Meets with probationers,
family members, school officials, service providers and others having contact
with probations to help ensure probationers are meeting terms and conditions of
probation, including school attendance and participation in treatment programs;
Interviews and screens
clients to try to effect a satisfactory adjustment of family-related problems
without resorting to court action;
Counsels respondents and
probationers in an effort to discover and resolve problems; writes reports and
recommendations to superiors regarding the status of such counseling;
Prepares violation reports
on probationers and testifies at violation hearings;
Establishes and maintains
contact with other social and law enforcement agencies and cooperates with them
in matters of mutual interest;
Helps to maintain a variety
of records used by Probation Officers;
May assist Senior Probation
Officers in a specialty unit by handling less complex cases;
May execute arrest warrants,
conduct warrantless searches and/or warrantless arrests;
May use a firearm in
performing duties while exercising authority pursuant to departmental policy.
FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL
CHARACTERISTICS
Good knowledge of the principles and practices of probation casework,
including interviewing, investigation, counseling, case supervision, record
keeping and reporting; good knowledge of the laws and rules pertaining to
probation work and the functions and procedures of family and criminal courts;
good knowledge of special offender populations such as domestic violence
offenders, DWI offenders, sex offenders, youthful offenders, and others; good
knowledge of risk and needs assessment instruments; working knowledge of social
sciences, including sociology, psychology and demography; working knowledge of
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations and
policies relating to confidentiality of case record information; ability to
analyze data gathered through investigation of probationers; good knowledge of
community resources; good knowledge of the factors related to the causes of
crime and delinquency; ability to analyze data gathered through investigation
of probationers; ability to conduct effective case planning and management;
ability to counsel probationers regarding social, emotional and vocational
problems; ability to deal effectively with people who may be under emotional
strain; ability to express oneself clearly and concisely, both orally and in
writing; good judgment; physical condition commensurate with the demands of the
position.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
OPEN COMPETITIVE
Either:
(a)
One (1) year of permanent competitive
status as a Probation Officer Trainee (Spanish Speaking) in a New York State
Probation Agency; or
(b)
Graduation from a college with federally authorized
accreditation or registration by New York State with a Master’s Degree in Social
Work, Social Sciences, Education, Administration, Law, Criminal Justice, or a
related field; or
(c)
Graduation from a college with federally authorized
accreditation or registration by New York State with a Bachelor’s Degree,
including at least thirty (30) credit hours in the social or behavioral
sciences and two (2) years of experience in counseling, law
enforcement, juvenile or criminal justice, education, or casework in a
probation, law enforcement, juvenile or criminal justice, corrections,
community corrections, parole, social services, mental health, social work or
other public or private human services agency.
NOTE: Course work at the
Master’s degree level in social work, social sciences, education,
administration, law, criminal justice, or a related field may be substituted
for work experience for a maximum of one (1) year of experience.
NOTE: Social science includes areas of study concerned with humans living in
relation to other humans in a social environment such as anthropology, criminal
justice, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology and
sociology
NOTE: Behavioral science is a subset of social science characterized by
observation of the behavior of living organisms and focused on human behavior
such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, counseling, criminal justice,
gerontology, human behavior, social work/social welfare and vocational
rehabilitation.
NOTE:
Counseling Experience involves interviewing individuals and/or families,
discussing and evaluating their problems (e.g. drug and alcohol abuse, family
conflicts, disabilities) and developing and carrying out plans to resolve
problems. Those who perform counseling duties work directly with individuals
and/or families on an ongoing basis in order to assist them and monitor and
evaluate their progress.
Law Enforcement Experience involves providing for public safety by
maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property,
enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws and promoting good community
relations as a member of a regional state park police or a police force, police
department or other organization of a county, city, town, village, housing
authority, transit authority or police district.
Education Experience involves teaching a curriculum to students or
supervising/administering such a curriculum and those teaching it or experience
as a guidance counselor, school or educational counselor or instructional
coordinator/curriculum coordinator in a criminal justice or juvenile justice
setting.
Casework Experience involves activities directed toward enhancing a
client’s ability to cope with and solve problems and the referral of clients to
supporting resources and services
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENT
1.
At the time of appointment and during employment in this
title employees must possess a valid license to operate a motor vehicle in New
York State.
2.
Candidates must be a United States Citizen at the time of
appointment.
3.
There will be a qualifying psychological evaluation.
4.
There will be a qualifying medical evaluation.
5.
There will be a qualifying Spanish language examination.
6.
Candidates will be required to successfully complete the
State Requirements of Peace Officer Training and Firearms Training as per New
York State Criminal Procedure Law section 2.3
R 04/01/2024
SUFFOLK COUNTY
Competitive