Juvenile Probation

In North Dakota, juvenile probation services can be administered in one of two ways. Within the Judicial Branch of state government, the Supreme Court Administrator’s Office funds juvenile probation services and assigns Juvenile Supervisors to each judicial district to administer these services. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Services, which supervises delinquent and troubled you who are at risk of placement and are committed to their care, provide other probation services. Upon commitment to the Department, community corrections workers become responsible for case management.

Division of Juvenile Services staff do not carry a firearm. They are not classified as peace officers. They are classified as corrections specialists. They do not have the power to arrest.

Division of Juvenile Services policy prohibits the carrying of firearms.

At the time of the survey it was not under consideration to allow these officers to carry a firearm.

There are no private companies providing juvenile probation supervision services.

Juvenile Parole

Juvenile aftercare, rehabilitation, and treatment through a network of community alternatives are maintained by the Department of Corrections, Division of Juvenile Services within the Executive Branch of state government.

The Juvenile Corrections Specialists do not carry a firearm. They are not classified as peace officers. They are classified as corrections specialists. They do not have the power to arrest.

Division of Juvenile Services policy prohibits the carrying of firearms. 

At the time of the survey it was not under consideration to allow these officers to carry a firearm.

There are no private companies providing juvenile aftercare supervision services.

Adult Probation and Parole

Within the Executive Branch of government, the Division of Field Services in the Department of Corrections is responsible for adult probation and parole services. Most misdemeanants are generally sent to community service/restitution programs operated by private contractors.

It is mandatory for adult probation and parole officers to carry a firearm. They are classified as peace officers and do have arrest powers. North Dakota’s firearm policy was instituted over 20 years ago and is reviewed and revised annually.

Officers complete the 11-week North Dakota Peace Officer basic training. In addition, officers receive department firearm education and training from the Division of Field Services. Officers are required to shoot a satisfactory qualifying score four times per year. This includes cold weather shooting, low-light shoot, annual state qualification, and situational firearms qualification. The officers do undergo psychological testing (MMPI-2) as a part of their initial hiring process.

Officers are issued a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.

There are private companies that provide supervision services for low-risk offenders.

For updates or corrections to the information on this page, please contact: Diane Kincaid