Massachusetts Probation Service's famous firsts

Leading the nation in redefining accountability and opening pathways to long-term positive change for court-involved individuals and their families via community-based supervision, programming, and the delivery of quality services to victims and survivors of crime. The Massachusetts Probation Service leverages people, passion, and partnership to deliver on our strategic mission and vision.

1878  The first and finest

The Massachusetts Probation Service was the first probation agency establish in the United States. The concept of probation was introduced by John Augustus, a Boston bootmaker.

1978  Data-driven decisioning

The Massachusetts Probation Service positioned itself at the forefront of data collection and information sharing by establishing the first national registry of civil restraining orders.

1994  Community supervision

The Massachusetts Probation Service developed Operation Nitelite. This innovative approach paired probation officers with police to provide a layer of supervision and visible presence within communities.

2001  Embracing technology

The Massachusetts Probation Service was a pioneer in leveraging GPS technology to track probationers, defendants, and parolees in the community as an alternative to incarceration.

2016  Celebrating diversity

The Massachusetts Probation Service led the nation in hosting an annual celebration of food, community, culture and diversity. These celebrations are embraced and well-attended by the community.

2021  Reducing defaults

The Massachusetts Probation Service developed a multilingual text message notification system reminding court users of upcoming case events. This platform has significantly reduced defaults.