Probation Parole Sergeant

State of Montana • Billings, MT

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) is creating a safer Montana through Accountability, Rehabilitation and Empowerment. If you want to work making positive changes in your community, the Montana Department of Corrections is the place for you!
The Public Safety Division operates Montana’s prisons safely and securely and provides supervision and support for offenders in the community through its Probation and Parole Bureau. The work performed in this division is integral to the department’s mission to create a safer Montana through accountability, rehabilitation, and empowerment. Make a difference! Join us today!
The Probation and Parole Sergeant position, guided by the Department of Corrections (DOC) mission, plays a central role in managing the correctional population, promoting public safety and encouraging offenders to make positive life changing decisions for their future.
Sergeants are also called upon to:
Arrest, detain violators, and testify in district court information hearings relative to sentencing or revocation of client’s probation or parole status.
Officers are trained to handle situations if probation & parole offenders or inmates become hostile & pose a physical threat. This requires the use of Oleoresin Capsicum “O.C. Spray” and firearms and carrying handcuffs.
May be called back to work at any hour of the day and an officer may need to physically make an arrest, engage in forced entry and either employ or be in proximity of firearms or other dangerous weapons and access closed or hazardous areas.
Must reside in area and be within a 30-minute response time to the office.
Work is of the nature that Public Safety Officers may work varying schedules to include nights and week-end hours and that the Officer may be called back to work at any hour of the day or night and be available 24/7 when called upon to assist any Department of Corrections Facility or Law Enforcement Agency. The Officer needs to physically make an arrest, defend selves, in high-risk volatile scenarios in and away from the office.
Travel is required.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in behavioral science such as criminology, psychology, social work, sociology, or guidance counseling AND 3 years of experience in Probation and Parole.
• Equivalent work experience may be substituted for the educational requirement.
• Related work experience in the areas listed in subsection (1)(b) may be substituted for educational requirements at the rate of 1 year of experience for 9 months formal education if approved by the department.
• All present employees are exempt from this requirement but are encouraged to further their education at the earliest opportunity.
• This position requires POST Basic Certification after attending training at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and successfully completing one year of employment with the Department of Corrections.
• Be a citizen of the United States of America
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be fingerprinted for a criminal history search
• Not have been convicted of a crime for which s/he could have been imprisoned in a federal or state penitentiary
• Be of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background screen
• Be a high school graduate or issued a GED or its equivalent
• Possess or be eligible for a valid Montana driver’s license

Responsibilities

• Interview, hire, train appraise, reward/discipline, advance/terminate employees
• Complete performance evaluations on POs
• Approve and submit time sheets.
• Provides guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Provides coaching, mentoring, and discipline as needed to ensure professional growth of staff.
• Identifies developmental training needs of employees to assist in continued growth of knowledge and skills.
• Offer specific training programs to help staff maintain or improve job skills.
• Schedules and facilitates regular staff meetings with Probation and Parole staff.
• Reviews Reports of Violation written by Probation and Parole Officers prior to the report being submitted to the revoking authority.
• Oversees the issue of equipment for Probation and Parole staff, including firearms and state vehicles.
• Oversees the evidence room and assist assigned Probation and Parole Officers on proper storage as per policy.
• Screens, trains, evaluates, and supervises college interns/citizen volunteers and/or coordinates their internship/volunteer work with the assistance of Probation and Parole staff.
• Conducts regular case management audits as required per policy.
• In the absence of the Captain, Sergeants must perform all duties of the Captain
• Assists in the planning of Community Corrections Facilities, Regional Prisons and Intensive Supervision Programs.
• May assist with screening for community placement of those offenders that are in a secure facility such as a regional prison.
• Supervises the Intensive Supervision Program as assigned.
• Authorizes the placement of DOC committed offenders.
• Coordinates and facilitates transfers of in-state offenders when requested by another office.
• Assigns cases accordingly for offenders requesting to transfer their supervision.
• May serve as a liaison with various outside agencies, including but not limited to; local law enforcement, the Court system, county jail, Department of Health and Human Services, and chemical dependency treatment providers.
• Performs public relations duties as assigned, including but not limited to: answering questions and complaints from the public, speaking at public hearings, and giving presentations to the public.
• Receives the itemized bills for jail costs of Department of Corrections' residents/clients from County Sheriff's office. Reviews the claims for accuracy and pre-approves for the Captain.
• Conduct Hearings that protect the public and ensures the rights of both male and female inmates, parolees, probationers, and conditionally released offenders are adhered to through the impartial application of hearing procedures that incorporate all applicable due process rights.
• Ensures fair and consistent administrative hearings.
• Conducts Preliminary On-site Hearings on parolees and interstate offenders to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that they have violated conditions of their release.
• Conducts Disciplinary Hearings on inmates who have been placed into a Community Corrections Center and on conditionally released offenders.
• Conducts disciplinary hearings held on Ten-Day Furlough inmates temporarily released from a secure facility or community-based program, and who have allegedly violated his/her ten-day furlough program.
• Conducts Intervention Hearings on parolees, probationers, and conditional release offenders to determine conditions the offender is not complying with, and to develop a formal contract to achieve compliance.
• Acts as the liaison with the local Community Corrections Center, which may include the men's and women’s pre-release center, the Connections Corrections Program, the Treasure State Correctional Training Center, the Missoula Assessment and Sanction Center, the Billings Assessment and Sanction Center, and the Warm Springs Addiction Treatment and Change Program.
• May assist the DOC Compliance Monitoring team to evaluate the Community Corrections Center's Personnel and Safety Policies ensuring compliance with Department of Corrections' guidelines.
• Authorizes Center residents to travel outside the boundaries of the county, for the Department of Corrections through weekly resident evaluations.
• Assists with assigning cases and coordinating discharge planning and reentry of inmates being released from a secure facility or community-based program.
• Serves as a member of the Community Corrections Center candidate screening committee by reviewing prison records for compliance with institution rules and regulations.
• Consults with Community Corrections Center staff and resident/clients regarding parole planning and parole screening.
• Completes initial "sign-up" for resident/clients paroling or discharging their sentences to locations outside the Probation and Parole district.
• Coordinates and oversees the conditional release process for those offenders who are in a Community Corrections Center and who are requesting release.

Benefits

• Your service is rewarded with competitive compensation and generous State of Montana Benefits.
• State of Montana employment may qualify for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level