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Job Details for U.S. Pretrial Services Officer

Court Name/Organization Illinois Northern Pretrial Services
Overview of the Position The U.S. Pretrial Services Office for the Northern District of Illinois is currently accepting applications for the full-time position of a Pretrial Services Officer. The Pretrial Services Officer, as a pretrial release investigator and supervision officer, is responsible for providing meaningful assistance to the U.S. District Court in its deliberations and decisions concerning pretrial release of defendants accused of violating federal statutes; and for ensuring public safety through the monitoring and supervision of defendants placed under supervision by the court including defendants on location monitoring. The officer may be assigned duties in any of the aforementioned areas depending on office needs.
Location Chicago, IL
Opening and Closing Dates 09/11/2025 - Open Until Filled
Appointment Type Permanent
Classification Level/Grade CL 25 - CL 28
Salary $56,931 - $128,795
Link to Court Careers Information http://www.ilnpt.usourts.gov
Announcement Number 25-04
Link to Job Announcement

Position Description

  • Gathers and verifies background information concerning persons charged with a federal criminal offense when they are arrested or summoned to court.
  • Ability to query and interpret law enforcement automated criminal records systems to obtain and verify information.
  • Evaluates information and prepares a report for the judicial officer prior to the Initial Appearance hearing with an assessment of risks of non-appearance and danger to the community.
  • Attends court hearings to represent Pretrial Services, provides the court, government, and defense counsel with additional information as needed, and stays current with the case status and requirements of the court’s orders.
  • Assigns and schedules the work of the investigation unit regarding all pretrial investigative work and coordinates/assigns necessary court coverage.
  • Conduct community contacts.
  • Be available for weekend arrest duty court coverage as needed.
  • Investigates violations, prepares written reports for the court, and recommends appropriate action to be taken by the court.
  • Supervise a caseload of defendants including location monitoring (LM) defendants, on 24 hours, 7 days per week basis as is currently in place including community and home contacts.
  • Provide weekend location monitoring coverage as needed and coverage for an additional caseload as needed during periods of leave
  • Monitor defendant compliance according to procedures outlined within the district’s LM Policy Manual and report any violations pertaining to supervision conditions to the judicial officer.
  • Perform all other duties as assigned.

The above list is intended to reflect typical duties and does not include all duties or special work assignments. A U.S. Pretrial Services Officer must be able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced work environment to perform at an acceptable level. The workload is case driven and time sensitive. Work in excess of 40 hours per week may be required to meet the demands of the court.

Learn more about being a Pretrial Services Officer.

Qualifications

  • Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or provide documentation proving eligibility to work in the United States.
     
  • A driver’s license and access to a vehicle is required.
     
  • All Pretrial Services officer positions require completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with at least one year of specialized experience*. At least one year of experience at or equivalent to the next level below the level of the position for which the person is being considered. Sufficient keyboarding skills (or alternative skills) to demonstrate proficiency in producing reports/documents/correspondence using electronic word processing and other office system technology is required.
     
  • Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible experience in such fields as probation, pretrial services, parole, corrections, criminal investigations, or work in substance/addiction treatment, public administration, human relations, social work, psychology, or mental health. Experience as a police officer, custodial, or security officer, other than any criminal investigative experience, is not creditable.
     
  • Maximum Age Requirement: First time appointees to positions covered under federal law enforcement officer retirement provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment. Applicants 37 years old and older who have previous law enforcement experience covered under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) and who have either a subsequent break in service or intervening service in a non-law enforcement officer position may have their previous law enforcement officer experience deducted from their age to determine whether or not they meet the maximum age requirement.
     
  • Physical Requirements: Officers must possess, with or without corrective lenses, good distance vision in at least one eye and the ability to read normal size print. Normal hearing ability, with or without hearing aid(s), is also required. Any severe health problems, such as physical defects, disease, and deformities that constitute employment hazards to the applicant or others, may disqualify the applicant.
     
  • Background Investigation, Drug Screening & Medical Standards: As part of the interview process and due to the sensitivity level of this position, candidates will be asked about their background including criminal history and illegal drug use. In addition, candidates must complete the AO-78, questions 18-20 regarding criminal history. Providing false and/or misleading information may be grounds for removal from the application and selection process. Prior to appointment, the final candidate considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screening. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screening, the candidate may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the Court. The final candidate must also successfully complete a ten-year background investigation conducted by the Office of Personnel Management. In addition, as conditions of employment, the incumbent will be subject to ongoing random drug screening, updated background investigations every five years and, as deemed necessary by management for reasonable cause, may be subject to subsequent fitness-for-duty evaluations. The medical requirements and the essential job functions derived from the medical guidelines for probation officers, pretrial service officers and officer assistants are available for public review.

Employee Benefits

  • 13 - 26 paid vacation days per year, dependent upon the length of federal service
  • 13 paid sick days per year
  • 11 paid holidays per year
  • Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees
  • Optional Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
  • Child Care Facility
  • Eligible for telework after training
  • Onsite employee fitness center
  • Additional benefits information

Miscellaneous

  • Gathers and verifies background information concerning persons charged with a federal criminal offense when they are arrested or summoned to court.
  • Ability to query and interpret law enforcement automated criminal records systems to obtain and verify information.
  • Evaluates information and prepares a report for the judicial officer prior to the Initial Appearance hearing with an assessment of risks of non-appearance and danger to the community.
  • Attends court hearings to represent Pretrial Services, provides the court, government, and defense counsel with additional information as needed, and stays current with the case status and requirements of the court’s orders.
  • Assigns and schedules the work of the investigation unit regarding all pretrial investigative work and coordinates/assigns necessary court coverage.
  • Conduct community contacts.
  • Be available for weekend arrest duty court coverage as needed.
  • Investigates violations, prepares written reports for the court, and recommends appropriate action to be taken by the court.
  • Supervise a caseload of defendants including location monitoring (LM) defendants, on 24 hours, 7 days per week basis as is currently in place including community and home contacts.
  • Provide weekend location monitoring coverage as needed and coverage for an additional caseload as needed during periods of leave
  • Monitor defendant compliance according to procedures outlined within the district’s LM Policy Manual and report any violations pertaining to supervision conditions to the judicial officer.
  • Perform all other duties as assigned.

The above list is intended to reflect typical duties and does not include all duties or special work assignments. A U.S. Pretrial Services Officer must be able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced work environment to perform at an acceptable level. The workload is case driven and time sensitive. Work in excess of 40 hours per week may be required to meet the demands of the court.

Learn more about being a Pretrial Services Officer.

Application Info

You may apply by submitting the following as a single PDF document:

  • Cover letter describing your qualifications for this position and answering the following questions (Not to exceed two pages):
    • Please describe your experience of preparing reports and working with external stakeholders during the pretrial investigation process.
    • Please describe your experience with location monitoring including the number of cases supervised and how you handle priority alerts on high-risk cases.
  • Resume (two page maximum)
  • Completed AO-78. Optional Background Information (questions 19, 20, and 21) on page five must be answered.
  • Last two performance appraisals/evaluations from your current and/or previous employer(s). (If unable to provide these, please explain the reason in your cover letter.)
  • Copy of transcript(s) for a bachelor’s degree & any advanced degree
  • In the cover letter tell us how you found this vacancy. If a referral, please list the employee’s name.

Complete applications should be submitted via e-mail to Pretrial_Services_HR@ilnpt.uscourts.gov. All application materials should be sent as a single PDF document. Please include the position announcement number and position title in the Subject line of the email. Save your document in the following format: last name, first name. Failure to follow directions and/or submit a complete packet may disqualify you from consideration. If you are seeking a transfer opportunity, please include ‘Transfer USPSO’ in the subject line.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.