Juvenile probation in this country began in 19th Century Massachusetts with the innovative work of John Augustus. Known to historians as the “Father of Probation,” Augustus, a member of the Washington Total Abstinence Society, pioneered the concept in 1841 by making a deal on behalf of a man brought before the Boston courts, offering to take custody of the “drunkard” and reform him. Some time later, he and the parolee returned to the court and the latter was greatly improved, to everyone’s surprise. Until his death, John Augustus served as the first probation officer.
As for the juvenile probation center at the local level, serious standards and accountability really gathered steam between the 1950s and 1970s. For one, professional associations specifically devoted to representing the interests of adult and juvenile probation officers popped up across the United States and probation centers began to see more oversight at the hands of country criminal justice systems.
