Press Release

RICHMOND — As the Virginia Department of Corrections acknowledges Pretrial, Probation and Parole Officers’ Week, July 15–21, it does so holding the lowest recidivism rate in the nation for the second straight year.

Probation and parole officers exemplify the agency mission and vision by ensuring sentenced men and women are provided appropriate supervision and effective interventions that ensure public safety. Supervision and effective programming are directed toward changing criminal thinking resulting in lasting public safety.

“Our probation and parole officers are a critical component of our success,” said Harold Clarke, the Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections. “They work with offenders regularly utilizing evidence-based practices to provide support and guidance. Their work ultimately promotes reentry success.”

Probation and parole officers collaborate with a variety of public safety partners, including representatives of local and state police, jails, the court system and a wide array of support organizations. This collaboration is in furtherance of our mission and vision.

Virginia’s legislature enacted a formal statewide probation and parole system on October 1, 1942. Today, Virginia has 645 probation and parole officers and 164 senior officers serving 43 different districts and supervising more than 65,000 offenders statewide.

By guiding returning citizens as they successfully transition back to their communities, probation and parole officers help to make Virginia a better place to live and work.

For more information about the Virginia Department of Corrections, click here.

If you are interested in joining our team, click here.