About the Position
WHO WE ARE
Pre-Trial Assessment Case Workers are responsible for conducting daily interviews and background investigations of newly incarcerated offenders and presenting information to the courts regarding eligibility for release into the community under Pre-Trial Supervision while they await the processing of their criminal case.
The primary work site will be the Montgomery County Detention Center located at 1307 Seven Locks Road, Rockville, MD. Work hours will be Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Staff may be required to work late on heavy court days or when bond hearings run past office hours. Staff may be needed to work rotating shifts from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. if there is an operational need. The individual selected for this position will be considered an "Essential Employee". Essential employees must report to work during a period of general emergency or liberal leave, to include holidays and inclement weather.
What You'll Be Doing
- Interviewing offenders after they have been committed to the jail.
- Performing criminal background investigations.
- Extracting and verifying information through NCIC/Meters criminal histories and other criminal justice databases.
- Speaking with community contacts to assess community and public safety risks, as well as the likelihood of offenders appearing for court dates.
- Present recommendations in court at bond review hearings.
- For cases in which a defendant is placed in the Pre-Trial Supervision program, the caseworker will complete and sign a contract with the defendant.
- If the court requires the use of GPS/EM equipment, the caseworker may be required to attach the equipment to the defendant.
- Works in a fast-paced environment and must meet strict time constraints as bond review hearings occur daily, as set by the Courts.
- Summaries and recommendations to the Court are heavily relied upon by all parties as the judges make bond release decisions and court-ordered conditions for offenders to follow who are released to the community.
- Performs related duties as required.
Prior to appointment, all applicants must successfully complete a comprehensive background investigation, medical examination, drug/alcohol screen, and psychological evaluation.
Prior to appointment, a promotional appointment within DOCR, the selected individual must answer the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) questions and submit to a criminal history check to comply with the Prevention Planning on Hiring and Promotion Decisions (115.17, 115.117, 115.217, 115.317). This is a requirement to meet Federal law and audit standards.
Generally, the position is covered by the Retirement Plan, Group JK. If the successful candidate(s) is an internal employee, retirement plan coverage will be determined at the time the job offer is made.
The selected candidate must successfully complete the Maryland Correctional Training Academy Entry-Level Program and possess a Certificate of successful completion within 12 months of hire. Must maintain and successfully complete additional State-mandated and Departmental Correctional training as required.
The individual selected for this position will be considered an “Essential Employee”. Essential employees must report to work during a period of general emergency or liberal leave.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: One (1) year of full-time satisfactory experience in community-based corrections or in other human services work emphasizing treatment/counseling.
Education: Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
Equivalency: Excess education may be substituted for required experience, but excess experience may not be substituted for the bachelor’s degree, as the educational requirement is stipulated by the Maryland State Training Commission.
If Filled as a Correctional Specialist II (Download PDF reader):
Experience: Two (2) years of full-time satisfactory experience in community-based corrections or in other human services work emphasizing treatment/counseling.
Education: Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or University.
Equivalency: Excess education may be substituted for required experience, but excess experience may not be substituted for the bachelor's degree, as the educational requirement is stipulated by the Maryland State Training Commission.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
- Experience using computer systems related to law enforcement and/or Corrections.
- Experience addressing the needs of a correctional population.
- Experience assessing offenders, preferably to determine eligibility and criteria for pre-trial release.
- Experience providing case management and counselling to a criminal justice involved population.
- Experience with collaboration and partnering within the legal system.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at [email protected]. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
