Juvenile Institutions Officer

The Probation Department is a law enforcement agency within the County of Monterey with five major divisions: four operational divisions (Adult, Juvenile, Juvenile Hall, and Youth Center) and one infrastructure division, Administration, which includes Finance, Personnel, Training, Grants and Contracts, and Technology. It has about 290 permanent positions (the majority of which are sworn officers) and offers a fast‑paced environment that requires excellent customer service skills, personal initiative, adaptive thinking, strong ethics, and commitment while maintaining a sense of family and camaraderie.

Position Summary
:
The Monterey County Probation Department is seeking qualified individuals to fill vacancies for Juvenile Institution Officer I. The Juvenile Institution Officer is responsible for the safety and well‑being of youth referred to the Juvenile Hall detention center. The primary function of a Juvenile Institution Officer is to direct and supervise the routine daily activities of detained youths—school, yard work, meals, and recreational activities—and to provide situational counseling, enforce facility rules, provide transportation, and prepare written reports and evaluations.

Ideal Candidate
: A candidate who possesses a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness, strong written and verbal communication, excellent command presence, good moral character, integrity, flexibility, and credibility.

• Maintains security for all staff and minors; conducts searches on clients upon entry into the facility or as required; and conducts required area searches; conducts intake and release procedures.
• Maintains discipline; orients youth to juvenile facilities by distributing rules, demonstrating procedures, and explaining legal and custodial procedures appropriate to the situation.
• Maintains proper health measures for all minors; may dispense prescribed medication, document it in medical logs, administer CPR and First Aid as necessary, and conduct visual health and security checks.
• Assesses behavior of clients, prepares individual reports on progress and behavior for the Juvenile Court, completes incident reports and other documentation for departmental files.
• Organizes and conducts recreational activities; may develop, teach, and conduct recreational or work‑skill programs; oversees work programs, such as routine cleaning, maintenance, laundry, and kitchen assistance.
• Physically intervenes in physical confrontations between minors or between minors and staff; physically restrains minors who are behaving violently until control is regained.
• Transports and supervises minors out of the facility in secure custody to medical appointments, court appearances, hospital, etc.
• Monitors daily activities of minors.

Knowledge of

• Physical and psychological development patterns of children and adolescents.
• Factors contributing to delinquent behavior and attitudes of juveniles and adults, such as peer pressure, family environments, and role modeling.

Skill and Ability to

• Maintain an objective attitude and relationships with delinquent juveniles and probationers.
• Interview and counsel individuals from diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Model appropriate behavior and attitude.
• Recognize health and behavioral problems in minors.

Experience

• Approximately three months experience working with youth and/or adults in an institutional setting providing custodial care.
• Approximately three months experience as a group leader planning and organizing recreational activities for youth and/or adults.
• Approximately six months experience providing general counseling to youth and/or adults in either a group or one‑to‑one situation.

Education

• Approximately 30 units of college coursework in Administration of Justice, Psychology, Recreation, or related fields.

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• High School diploma or GED (average standard score of 45, with no score less than 35).
• No felony convictions.

• Work flexible hours, including shift work,…