Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Juvenile Probation Office is unable to accept applications for the internship program until January 2022.
The Berks
County Juvenile Probation Internship Program is designed to provide a
“hands-on” learning experience for students working towards a bachelor’s or master’s
degree in the fields of criminal justice or social services. Participants
will be exposed to many different aspects of the juvenile justice system
including but not limited to; utilization of evidenced based practices;
interactions with various law enforcement agencies, counseling agencies, and
corrections professionals; observation of the Court system; current
technologies; and the core competencies involved with working with offenders.
The Berks
County Juvenile Probation Department is an arm of the 23rd Judicial
District of Pennsylvania. At any given time, on average, the Juvenile
Probation Department supervises approximately 600 juveniles countywide. The Department is responsible to hold offenders accountable by monitoring and
enforcing Court orders.
Probation
officers work with offenders by targeting criminogenic needs and
coordinating/delivering services designed to lower their risk to
recidivate. The department works closely with a wide variety of agencies
and providers in an effort to accomplish this goal. A probation officer
must possess and utilize many skills including; motivation interviewing
techniques; a comprehension of cognitive behavioral therapy; the ability to
develop a professional alliance with youth and their families; a thorough
understanding of the organizational culture of juvenile probation, juvenile
law; and control tactics training (including firearms, oleoresin capsicum
spray, handcuffing/restraints, etc.).
A prospective intern should
click the link getting started. The information attached contains
eligibility and requirements. For your convenience, click here for
the County of Berks Employment Application. The position applied for is unpaid
intern.
Intern
candidates will apply to the Berks County Juvenile Probation by completing the
required forms and submitting them to Probation Officer Travis Johnson. Candidates
that meet the requirements will be reviewed, and prospective interns will be
interviewed. The department will accept one intern each semester and two
in the summer.
If there are any questions, please contact
Probation Officer, Travis Johnson, at tvjohnson@countyofberks.com.