Roles Of Juvenile Probation Officer

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Roles of a Juvenile Probation Officer

Professor Janette Nichols

Juvenile Justice

Axia College (University of Phoenix)

May 22, 2008

Marla Ognyanov

Roles of a Juvenile Probation Officer

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The Juvenile Court process is a very complex and often

misunderstood system. This information is presented from the rules of

Houston County, (Dothan, Alabama), and provides the role and

responsibilities of the Office of Juvenile Probation.

According to Traci Meredith, Houston County Juvenile Probation

Officer, Houston County’s Juvenile Probation Officers are responsible

for the guidance and supervision of juveniles between the ages of 10

through 19 years of age that were either referred by local law

Enforcement agencies or private citizens as a result of having

committed a crime which is considered to be a misdemeanor or a

felony. Additionally, probation officers insure that juveniles who are

placed on probation abide by their probation rules, receive appropriate

Court related services, are referred to other community services when

necessary and coordinate with schools, agencies, employment/training

programs and other services within the community.

All juveniles referred in Houston County are processed through the

Juvenile Court Intake Unit. The Juvenile Intake Officer is responsible

for screening and investigating the referral, determining the method of

handling and making referrals to other agencies when appropriate.

Roles of a Juvenile Probation Officer

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This process usually involves not only an interview with the child, but

with the parents, school personnel,) and the referring party.

According to how serious the crime is that was committed, if the

juvenile has a prior record, cooperation of the juvenile and parent,

school records, and whether the juvenile admits to the crime, a

juvenile can be handled informally without being petitioned into

Juvenile Court. The Juvenile Act permits the Juvenile Probation Office

to provide services not to exceed six months from the date of

disposition unless extended for a maximum period of three months by

the Court. During this period of time, the juvenile must be supervised

by a juvenile probation officer and is required to adhere to the rules of

probation as well as be involved in specialized