Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

State Civil Service Commission

Examination

for

INSTITUTIONAL PAROLE ASSISTANT

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

NATURE OF WORK

This is paraprofessional work in a parole office located within a State Correctional Institution.  You will provide inmate background information to the Parole Board and to Hearing Officers and guide inmates through parole hearing procedures.  The work involves preparing documents such as summarization reports and pre-parole investigations and using a computer to control dockets.  You will meet with inmates, obtain information and explain Parole Board requirements and actions.  In this position you will receive direct guidance in your daily work from a Parole Supervisor.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

You will be tested before your qualifications are reviewed.  Your test results will count only if you meet all job requirements.  If after reading the requirements you are not sure you qualify, contact one of the Commission's offices listed at the end of this announcement.

You must be a Pennsylvania resident, of good moral character and able to perform the essential functions of the job.

Conditions of Employment

Institutional Parole Assistants work in prisons with a substantial amount of direct contact with inmates.

The following are employment conditions which you must be willing and able to accept in order to be successful in this job.  If you are not willing and able to accept all of these conditions, please do not apply.

By submitting your application, you are indicating your willingness and ability to:

• Work unarmed inside a locked correctional facility, potentially being exposed to the danger of physical harm
• Be subjected to searches of your person and possessions
• Interact, unescorted, with the inmate population
• Undergo a background investigation
• Consent to “probable cause” drug testing
• Successfully complete orientation at the Central Office in Harrisburg 

Minimum Requirements

Two years of clerical work in a parole office, an institutional parole office, or an agency in the criminal justice, law enforcement, or corrections field.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

There are currently 18 filled positions in parole offices within Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions.  The positions are distributed by county as follows:  Centre (2), Cumberland (1), Delaware (1), Luzerne (3), Lycoming (1), Mercer (1), Montgomery (2), Northumberland (1), Philadelphia (2), Schuylkill (2), and Wayne (2).

The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole will be filling 6 new positions in the following counties:  Allegheny, Erie, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Philadelphia, and Somerset.  Approximately 6 vacancies occur each year due to normal turnover from retirements, promotions, resignations, and so forth.  Vacancies may also arise in the following counties where other correctional facilities are located:  Cambria, Crawford, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana and Westmoreland.

For the most recent information on job opportunities contact the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Human Resources Division, 1101 South Front Street, Suite 5600, Harrisburg, PA 17104-2522, Telephone:  (717) 787-8148, Email:  lwhary@state.pa.us

TESTING

The test will consist of a multiple-choice test (weighted two-thirds) and a typing speed test (weighted one-third).  Either part of the test may be cancelled by the Commission, and the weight added to the remaining part.

You must pass both parts of the test.

Both parts of the test will be administered on a computer.  The typing test consists of a 5-minute practice exercise, followed by the actual typing test, which is also 5-minutes in length.  You must achieve a rate of 40 words per minute, after deductions for errors, in order to pass.  If you do not pass, you will not be permitted to take the written multiple-choice portion of the examination.

Information about computerized testing is available online at www.scsc.state.pa.us OR in paper form at any State Civil Service Commission office.  You will have a maximum of 2 1/2 hours to complete the multiple-choice test.

The test will cover the following subject areas:

The test will be administered in the Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh State Civil Service Commission offices, Monday through Friday.

The test will also be held approximately 10 days a month at additional test centers located in Allentown, Erie, Johnstown, Lock Haven, and Scranton.  For further details on test dates, contact the Commission’s Information Services Unit; Telephone (Voice) (717) 787-7811, Text Telephone (Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing callers only) (717) 783-8896.

If you take the test and want to take it again, you may be retested after 6 months from the date of your test.  You must submit a new application to be retested.

If your name is on an eligible list for this job title and you take this test, your most recent examination result will be the only one counted.

TEST RESULTS

Employment and promotion lists will be established.  You will be notified in writing of your test results.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online at www.scsc.state.pa.us or submit your completed paper application to:

State Civil Service Commission

(ATTN:  Applications)

P.O. Box 569

Harrisburg, PA  17108-0569

Applications and further information can be obtained from:

For further information on testing, assistance for persons with disabilities, veterans' preference and other items, refer to the instructions provided with the "Application for Employment/Promotion."