How to Contact a Probation Officer

Last Updated: February 23, 2020 References

People who are on probation aren't free to do as they want – they must fulfill any requirements put in place by the court and check in with their probation officer on a regular basis. Whether you want to report a possible probation violation or just need to find out the status of someone on probation, you may need to contact their probation officer. If you're not in a position to ask the person directly who their probation officer is, you typically can find this information and contact the right probation officer yourself, although you'll have to do a little research first.^{[1]
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Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Finding the Correct Probation Officer

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Confirm details about the person on probation. To find a person's probation officer, you typically must know at least the person's full legal name, and possibly their birth date.^{[2]
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- You may already have access to this information if, for example, the person works for you. All you have to do is check their personnel file. However, in many situations you may only have access to a nickname.
- If the person has active social media accounts, you may be able to find additional names or at least a birthday.
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Check to see if the person has been sent back to prison. If the person was previously in trouble or had pending violations, they may already have returned to prison.
- You can search on VINELink, which is a free online victim notification network that provides information about an offender's case status and location.^{[3]
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- Additionally, states have databases of all inmates who have been incarcerated in that state. You can check that database and see if the person is listed.^{[4]
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- Keep in mind that these databases typically only include people who are currently incarcerated, so the person you want to find will only show up if they have been sent back to jail.^{[5]
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3
Find out where the offender currently lives. Typically the offender's probation officer will be located in the same city or county where they live.
- Sometimes it may be fairly easy to find an offender's address. For example, if you are the offender's employer, you should be able to find their address simply by looking at the personnel records at work.
- There are some tricks you can use to find someone's address, depending on the type of crime they committed. For example, if the offender was required to register with the sex offender database, you could look there to find a current address.^{[6]
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Determine if the offender committed a state or federal crime. State and federal courts have separate probation systems.
- If you don't already know this information, it can be tricky to find out. Some crimes violate both state and federal law. Chances are if the person was convicted of a relatively minor crime such as shoplifting, they probably have a state probation officer.^{[8]
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- You may be able to search through criminal records databases online to find out whether the person committed a state or federal crime.^{[9]
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  National Center for State Courts
  Non-profit organization dedicated to improving judicial administration in the United States and around the world through education and advocacy.
  Go to source} However, keep in mind that many states charge a small fee for you to access this information.
- Ultimately, if you can't determine whether the offender committed a state or federal crime, you can find the closest location of each office and call them both to attempt to find their probation officer.
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Locate the closest probation office to the offender's residence. If there is more than one probation office in the city or county where the offender lives, you should start with the one closest to the area where they live.
- If the offender committed a federal crime, you can use the U.S. Courts' Court Locator to find the nearest federal probation office. Just go to http://www.uscourts.gov/court-locator and select "Probation and Pretrial Services" from the drop-down menu, then enter the appropriate city, state, or zip code.
- State probation offices typically are located by county, although larger cities may have more than one office.^{[10]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Calling the Probation Officer

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Visit the probation office website. The probation office may have a website where you can find the phone number you need to call to talk to the probation officer.
- State probation departments also may have directories of the local offices around the state.
- The American Probation and Parole Association has a directory of probation and parole offices in every state available at https://www.appa-net.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Webcode=VB_Directory.
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Call the general number during regular business hours. While some probation offices may have tip lines available around the clock, if you want to talk to an actual probation officer you typically will need to call on a weekday.
- Although you may prefer to meet with the probation officer in person, typically you'll need to reach out to them by phone first.^{[11]
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Ask to speak to the offender's probation officer. If you provide the offender's full legal name and any other information as requested, the operator who answers the phone should be able to connect you to the offender's probation officer.
- If you've been unable to find very much identifying information, you still should provide as much information as you have.^{[12]
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  Research source} For example, if you only know the person by a nickname and aren't sure about their full legal name, simply state you're looking for someone who goes by that nickname. If it's common enough, it's probably familiar to the staff at the probation office as well.
- You also may be able to use a physical description, although this probably would be more effective in smaller offices where there aren't as many people to keep track of.^{[13]
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  Research source} Regardless, if the person has any particularly distinctive characteristics, such as a large face tattoo, they can help identify the person and their probation officer if you don't have much to go on.
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Provide the information you have. Once you get the officer, explain the reason you have contacted them.
- Keep in mind that probation officers are extremely busy, and in many instances you may have to call several times or leave a message before you actually get the opportunity to speak to the officer.^{[14]
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- If you have to leave a voicemail message, be clear and succinct and provide a summary of the information you have or the question you need asked. Be sure to leave a name and phone number so the officer can get back to you.