What determines an ideal caseload size is a question that continues to vex corrections managers and supervisors. Caseload size is informed by numerous variables that may include geography (ex: informs travel time to meet with persons under supervision), the population of the region (urban or rural), types of offenses and risk levels, court orders, political environment, available resources to include staff, and roles and responsibilities of staff. In addition, work studies identify the functions of staff positions, determine the time required to carry out functions compared to time available, and identify redundancies or tasks that are no longer required, all toward gaining a better understanding of the work and contributing to identifying caseload size for different groups of persons under supervisions.

• Caseload Standards for Probation and Parole

  Date: September 2006
  This issue paper from the American Probation and Parole Association was published in 2006 but continues to be a point of discussion to date as agencies determine the workload issues of officers to meet the agency needs and how best to determine the proper caseload size for supervision and case management effectiveness.

• Maricopa County Adult Probation and Pretrial Services Department Workload Study and Appendix Maricopa County Adult Probation Caseload Ratios

  Date: 2019
  The Justice Management Institute conducted this 2019 study to determine the caseload and workloads of probation and pretrial officers. The study was prompted by continuous growing budget requests from the probation department.

• Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Pretrial and Local Probation Workload Study

  Date: June 2022
  This study results from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) contract with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) to complete a workload assessment for local probation and pretrial services in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This first assessment of pretrial and local probation agencies' workload is a baseline for future work.

• Virginia Pretrial/Probation Workload Study

  Date: June 2022
  This document outlines the project plan for the Virginia Workload Study by the Committee for the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Director's meeting conducted by the National Center for State Courts.