How The Probation Department Became Beacon Hill’s Hiring Vending Machine Massachusetts Probation Patronage Scandal Explained, The Beacon Hill Job Pipeline. A rigged hiring scandal in the Massachusetts Probation Department exposed how political “recommendations” could outweigh merit, turning public jobs into favors. Massachusetts probation scandal, Beacon Hill patronage, John O’Brien probation, rigged hiring, political recommendations, Massachusetts corruption history. Massachusetts History, Bost