probation officer

noun

1. an officer who investigates and reports on the conduct of offenders who are free on probation.

probation officer

noun

1. an officer of a court who supervises offenders placed on probation and assists and befriends them

Word History and Origins

Origin of probation officer¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

County’s juvenile halls in 2018 and found probation officers were using pepper spray excessively, failing to provide proper educational and therapeutic programming and detaining youths in solitary confinement for far too long.

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Following a jail stint for assault and theft, Mike gets a probation officer, a room at a hostel and a cook job at a shabby hotel.

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When it came to the sentence that Prowell would receive, a probation officer wrote that his “callous and premeditated” crimes would have continued if he hadn’t been caught.

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The MoJ said new technology will free up the administrative burden on probation officers to increase supervision of the most dangerous offenders.

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A spokesperson said they had recently announced a £700m increase in funding by 2028, as well as recruiting more trainee probation officers.

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