How to become a probation and parole officer in Kansas
The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), Community & Field Services (Parole) hires state probation and parole officers under the title Parole Officer I (job code 7556L1). New probation and parole officers start at $61,838 a year.
Pay
| Starting salary | $61,838 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | — |
| Scale effective | 2026-01-23 |
KDOC: beginning salary for a Parole Officer I is $29.73/hour or $61,838.40/year (page last modified Jan 23, 2026). The class is assigned pay grade 23, but grade 23 of the Kansas Civil Service Basic Pay Plan effective June 7, 2026 runs $15.53 (step 1) to $29.32 (step 27), below KDOC's posted start rate, so a top-of-range figure for KDOC parole officers could not be confirmed.
Source:[doc.ks.gov]
Pay for this work across Kansas
Federal survey figures for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists in Kansas, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from the state's own pay scale above.
| People in this work | 760 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $49,480 |
| Median pay | $61,890 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $76,110 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]
Requirements
- Education: Bachelor's degree with at least 24 hours of criminal justice, social science or behavioral science (KDOC). Class spec: a Bachelor's Degree with major coursework in criminal justice, the social sciences, or the behavioral sciences; experience may be substituted for the required coursework as determined relevant by the agency.
- Free of felony convictions and of misdemeanor or felony domestic violence crimes
- No DUI convictions in the past 24 months; no adult misdemeanor drug use/possession convictions in the past 60 months
- No pending criminal charges, indictments or outstanding warrants
- Valid driver's license
- Drug test, TB screen and physical exam after a conditional offer
- One-year probationary period (KDOC)
- KDOC supervises parole/postrelease only; felony probationers are not KDOC parole officer caseloads (offenders on parole/postrelease are under the Secretary of Corrections' jurisdiction, not a local judge)
Source:[doc.ks.gov]
Hiring process
- Apply for a Parole Officer I vacancy at jobs.ks.gov
- HR screening against the position description
- One or more behavior-based interviews (may include role plays, written assignments or presentations)
- Employment and background check
- Conditional offer, then drug test, TB screen and physical exam
Source:[doc.ks.gov]
Academy
Length not published. New parole officers must complete 200 hours of training in their first year and 40 hours annually thereafter; basic training is taught in Olathe, Topeka, Wichita and other locations, with overnight travel at no expense to the employee.[doc.ks.gov]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS), KPERS 3 (cash balance; hired Jan. 1, 2015 and after)
- Benefit formula: Member contributes 6% of pay with 4% annual interest; retirement credits of 3% (<5 years), 4% (5-11 years), 5% (12-23 years) or 6% (24+ years) of salary; contribution account plus retirement credits are annuitized into a lifetime monthly benefit
- When you can retire: Full retirement at age 65 with 5 years or age 60 with 30 years; reduced early retirement at age 55 with 10 years; vested after 5 years
Parole officers are not covered by Corrections KPERS; KDOC testified in 2014 that newly hired parole officers are KPERS Tier 3 members (https://kslegislature.gov/li_2014/b2013_14/committees/ctte_jt_pensions_1/documents/testimony/20141219_08.pdf). No automatic COLA.
Source:[kspers.gov]