Summary
The position is located in the United States Probation Office in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. By statute, the probation officer serves in a judiciary law enforcement position and assists in the administration of justice and promotes community safety, gathers information, supervises offenders/defendants, interacts with collateral agencies, prepares reports, conducts investigations, and presents recommendations to the court. Officers may guide the work of other staff.
Clarification from the agency
This job is open until filled. A Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) is required.
Duties
- Conduct investigations and prepare reports for the court with recommendations, which requires interviewing defendants, person(s) under supervision, and their families, as well as collecting background data from various sources. An integral part of this process is the interpretation and application of policies and procedures, statutes, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedures, and may include U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Monographs, and relevant case law. Track legal developments, and update staff and the court.
- Enforce court-ordered supervision conditions and implement supervision strategies. Maintain personal contact with defendants and person(s) under supervision. Investigate employment, sources of income, lifestyle, and associates to assess risk and compliance. Address substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, and similar problems and implement the necessary treatment or violation proceedings, through assessment, monitoring, and counseling.
- Schedule and conduct drug use detection tests and DNA collection of defendants or person(s) under supervision, following established procedures and protocols. Maintain test results. Maintain chain of custody of urinalysis testing materials. Respond to judicial officer's request for information and advice. Testify in court as to the basis for factual findings and (if warranted) guideline applications. Serve as a resource to the court. Maintain detailed written records of case activity. May conduct surveillance and/or search and seizure at the direction of the court.
- Investigate and analyze financial documents and activities and take appropriate action. Interview victim(s) and provide victim impact statements to the court. Ensure compliance with Mandatory Victims Restitution Act. Responsible for enforcement of home confinement conditions ordered by the court and perform home confinement reintegration on behalf of the Bureau of Prisons.
- Analyze and respond to any objections. This may include resolving disputed issues and presenting unresolved issues to the court for resolution. Assess the level of risk for defendants or person(s) under supervision and develop a blend of strategies for controlling and correcting risk management.
- Communicate with other organizations and persons (such as the U.S. Parole Commission, Bureau of Prisons, law enforcement, treatment agencies, and attorneys) concerning the behavior and conditions of supervision for defendants and person(s) under supervision. Identify and investigate violations and implement appropriate alternatives and sanctions. Report violations of the conditions of supervision to the appropriate authorities. Prepare written reports of violation matters and make recommendations for disposition. Testify at court or parole hearings. Conduct Parole Commission preliminary interviews. Guide the work of staff providing administrative and technical assistance to officers. Knowledge of, and compliance with, the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees and court confidentiality requirements. Ability to consistently demonstrate sound ethics and judgment.
- Other duties as assigned.
Conditions of Employment
United States citizenship is required for consideration for this position.
Employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
Employees of the United States Probation Office for the District of Columbia are excepted service appointments. Excepted service appointments are "At-Will" and can be terminated with or without cause by the court.
Employees are required to use the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit.
Prior to appointment, the selectee considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screening. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screening, the selectee may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the court. In addition, as a condition of employment, the incumbent will be subject to an OPM background investigation and updated background investigations every five years, ongoing random drug screening, and, as deemed necessary by management for reasonable cause, may be subject to subsequent fitness-for-duty evaluations.
The medical requirements and the essential job functions derived from the medical guidelines for probation officers, pretrial services officers and officer assistants are available for public review (see Officer and Officer Assistant Medical Requirements).
First-time appointees to positions covered under law enforcement officer retirement provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment. Applicants 37 or over who have previous law enforcement officer experience under Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) and who have either a subsequent break in service or intervening service in a non-law enforcement officer position may have their previous law enforcement experience subtracted from their age to determine whether they meet the maximum age requirement.
Selection will be made consistent with the provisions of the Equal Employment Opportunity Plan adopted by the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Columbia.
Qualifications
Required Experience: In addition to meeting education requirements, candidates must possess the following required experience:
To qualify at the CL-27 level, the successful candidate must possess two years of specialized experience or completion of a master's degree in a field of study closely related to the position, or a Juris Doctor (JD) degree.
To qualify at the CL-28 level, the successful candidate must possess two years of specialized experience.
Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible experience, gained after completion of a bachelor's degree, in such fields as probation, pretrial services, parole, corrections, criminal investigations, or work in substance abuse/addiction treatment, public administration, human relations, social work, psychology, or mental health. Experience as a police officer, custodial, or security officer, other than any criminal investigative experience, is not creditable.
Preferred Experience: Preferred candidate should have documented experience conducting presentence investigations and/or enforcing court-ordered supervision conditions and implementing supervision strategies.
Education
All probation officer positions require completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a field of academic study, such as criminal justice, criminology, psychology, sociology, human relations, or business or public administration, which provides evidence of the capacity to understand and apply the legal requirements and human relations skills involved in the position.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Please read the "Next steps" section for more information.
Qualified individuals must submit the following:
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Applications may be mailed or hand delivered to:
United States Probation Office
Attn: Human Resources
333 Constitution Avenue, NW, Suite 2214
Washington, DC 20001-2866
Reference Announcement: #23-DC-10
or e-mailed to: jobs@dcp.uscourts.gov
Next steps
Failure to submit a complete and signed cover letter, AO-78, and resume will result in immediate disqualification. Description of Work section of the AO-78 must be completed to include salary information. Indicating "see resume" is not acceptable. Incomplete and/or unsigned applications will not be considered, returned or retained. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted and must travel at their own expense. One application per candidate will be accepted for this announcement.
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