About Us

Welcome to the United States Probation Office for the Southern District of Florida. Our agency is comprised of several offices spanning geographically from Key West to Ft. Pierce. Our headquarters is located in the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in downtown Miami. The United States Probation System was created when Congress passed the Federal Probation Act of 1925. The Act provided for the establishment of a probation system in the U.S. Courts and gave courts the power to appoint probation officers and to place offenders under supervision. Pretrial Services was developed as a means to deter the commission of crime committed by persons released to the community before trial and to ensure that these individuals were not detained unnecessarily. The Pretrial Services Act of 1982 authorized establishing pretrial services in federal courts nationwide. In our district, the United States Probation Office and the United States Pretrial Services Office were formally consolidated in 2005, so our pretrial and probation services are provided in a combined office environment. Presently, the U.S. Probation System serves 94 federal judicial districts nationwide and is a unique profession.

Our mission is to protect the community by insuring offenders comply with the conditions of release and to provide offenders with needed rehabilitative services. Consistent with our mission, our office has four core functions: conducting pretrial release investigations, conducting presentence investigations, providing pretrial supervision, and providing post-conviction supervision. Our officers are responsible for preparing pretrial services reports, presentence reports, and supervision compliance reports with recommendations that assist federal judges in making appropiate release and custodial decisions. We serve the federal district and federal magistrate courts by providing investigative services, alternatives to detentions, and community supervision.

We strive to provide the highest quality of service while offering an environment of respect, support, and proffesionalism that inspires law abiding livestyles and reduces redicivism. We hope you find this site helpful.