Pretrial Services Officer

Summary

PSA is looking for individuals who are interested in a career as a Pretrial Services Officer. You will be a valued team member who works with defendants performing such duties as: case management, conducting interviews, assessments, making recommendations for services to the court in management of defendants pending trial; ensure defendants appearance in court.

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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Duties

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As a Pretrial Services Officer, you will:

1. Perform assessments of defendants and clients who are referred by the court.

2. Interview and evaluate defendants pending release to determine eligibility for placement in a community supervision program while in pretrial or post-conviction show cause status.

3. Gather and verify information and research relevant automated systems to obtain criminal justice history.

4. Supervise defendants following release and intervene as necessary to ensure compliance with pretrial obligations.

5. Develop individualized supervision plans and review conditions of release and program participation requirements with defendants.

6. Prepare and maintain electronic records of case activity, regular statistical reports and other reports in accordance with PSA policy and procedures.

7. Represent the Pretrial Services Agency, testifying when necessary or submitting reports to court on the defendant's pretrial compliance and program participation.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Maximum Entry Age : This position is covered under the special provision for law enforcement retirement. By law, applicants for such law enforcement positions must be between 21 and 37 years old to be considered for initial appointment (that is, first appointment to a federal law enforcement position). The maximum age for entry on duty in a law enforcement covered position is the date immediately proceeding the applicant's 37th birthday except for veterans' preference eligibles.

APPLICANTS MUST PROVIDE DATE OF BIRTH!!!!!!!!!

Bargaining Unit Status and Chapter: Covered, AFGE Local 1456

This is a law enforcement position.

A candidate appointed at a lower grade level may be promoted up to the full performance level without further competition.

Upon starting the position, the selectee will be required to complete a mandatory six-week, onsite training.

Conditions of Employment

1. Must be a U.S. Citizen

2. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service

3. Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation

4. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period, if not already completed

5. All applicants are subject to a comprehensive criminal background investigation, and required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment

6. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice

7. Status applicants for promotion must have 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade

8. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the close of this announcement

9. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic professional requirements, and specialized experience requirement below.

Basic Professional Requirement: This position requires a four year degree in behavioral or social science or other related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience that provides you with the knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field; OR four years of appropriate experience that demonstrates that you have knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

To qualify at the GL-9 grade level, applicant must have one (1) year of specialized experience related to the duties of the position that was comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-7 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as working with individuals in a criminal justice environment explaining procedures and obtaining information; interviewing, monitoring, and evaluating clients; assessing clients; making recommendations in court; routine use of computer applications and/or law enforcement or comparable database systems.

Substitution of Education for Experience for GL-9 : Two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, applicant must have one (1) year of specialized experience related to the duties of the position that was comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-9 grade level. Specialized experience is defined asworking withindividuals in a criminal justice environment explaining procedures and obtaining information; managing, interviewing, monitoring, and evaluating clients; assessing clients; making recommendations in court; managing caseloads; expert use of computer applications and/or law enforcement or comparable database systems.

Substitution of Education for Experience for GS-11: Three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

NOTE : Your resume must clearly show the specialized experience related to this position. Failure to demonstrate how you possess the experience requirements will result in an "Ineligible" rating.

Education

There are education substitutions at the GL-9 and GS-11 grade levels.

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) was taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit:

Additional information

1. If you are an eligible Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) applicant as defined by 5 CFR § 330.702, you may apply for special selection over other applicants for this position. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Click The Employee's Guide to Career Transition for more information on ICTAP eligibility.

2. If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility , you must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" and/or a copy of the SF-50 that reflects career or career-conditional tenure, or you will not be considered under the merit promotion process. Also, you should submit your most recent performance appraisal.

3. Veterans' Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 : Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after 3 years or more of continuous active duty service may apply. If you are applying under this provision, please submit a copy of your DD-214 (unedited long version).

4. You can apply for a non-competitive appointment if you meet the basic eligibility requirements and you are eligible for special appointment such as those authorized for the severely disabled; certain Vietnam era and disabled veterans; returned volunteers from the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps Vista , etc. Please indicate the type of special appointment you are seeking, if any, on your application and follow all other instructions for applying shown in this announcement.

5. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement . Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review in our office, in other Federal agency personnel offices, and on OPM's web site at OPM Qualification Standards.

6. In accordance with Executive Order 14170 and the Merit Hiring Plan guidance issued by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, applicants for this position are invited to respond to four essay questions. These questions are designed to provide you with an opportunity to share your commitment to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution, as well as your dedication to public service. While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. Click here to review the questions

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.