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Boston Career Explorer

Community and Social Service

Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists

Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.

Also called: Adult Probation Officer, Correctional Counselor, Deputy Probation Officer (DPO), Juvenile Probation Officer, Parole Agent, Parole Officer (PO)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$98,100
$47.16/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
640
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+6.7%
140 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$63,160$80,350$98,100$114,660$114,660

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Prepare and maintain case folder for each assigned inmate or offender.
  • Gather information about offenders' backgrounds by talking to offenders, their families and friends, and other people who have relevant information.
  • Interview probationers and parolees regularly to evaluate their progress in accomplishing goals and maintaining the terms specified in their probation contracts and rehabilitation plans.
  • Discuss with offenders how such issues as drug and alcohol abuse and anger management problems might have played roles in their criminal behavior.
  • Supervise people on community-based sentences, such as electronically monitored home detention, and provide field supervision of probationers by conducting curfew checks or visits to home, work, or school.
  • Investigate alleged parole violations, using interviews, surveillance, and search and seizure.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure67 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 59
  • Language-model AIOE 70
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 72

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is on the higher side, mostly for paperwork tasks. AI tools could help with case folders, reports, and organizing background information. So far, little AI use has been seen here. Talking with offenders, judging progress, and doing field visits rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Preparing and maintaining case folders
  • Organizing background information and writing reports

Still relies on people

  • Interviewing offenders and checking on progress
  • Home, work, and school visits in the field

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Detectives and Criminal Investigators

    Interviewing people, gathering background information, and writing reports carry over to investigative work. It has lower AI exposure and a Boston median pay of $110,150.

    Pay difference
    +$12,050 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +3.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

    Coordinating cases and guiding staff build on your supervision and case work. It has lower AI exposure and a Boston median pay of $108,190.

    Pay difference
    +$10,090 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +5.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

8 programs near Boston (plus 13 graduate)

Related occupations

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