Press Release

RICHMOND — This week, the Virginia Department of Corrections honors the Department’s probation and parole officers, who work to keep our communities safer by providing guidance, support and structure to individuals under supervision in the community, including probationers and parolees who are transitioning back into society after completing prison terms.

Governor Ralph Northam has declared July 18-24, 2021 as Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, and during this time the Virginia DOC will honor its probation and parole officers for the important role they play in promoting public safety in the Commonwealth.

The past 16 months have presented a remarkable challenge for probation and parole officers. They have met this challenge and developed an array of new approaches to monitor and assist those under their supervision. The officers have collaborated with their many community partners, embraced new technologies, and provided encouragement to their fellow employees as they worked through this unprecedented time.

“Our probation and parole officers always have provided critical guidance and assistance to supervisees in the community,” said VADOC Director Harold Clarke. “Like so many others in essential positions, the pandemic made their jobs incalculably harder, and our officers have continued to do an outstanding job.”

Virginia’s probation and parole officers are a vital component in Virginia’s successful re-entry efforts, and a considerable factor in helping the Commonwealth maintain one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country for the fifth consecutive year.

Approximately 623 Virginia DOC probation and parole officers and 181 senior officers supervise more than 66,100 individuals in 43 state probation and parole districts throughout the Commonwealth.