Probation is a feature in Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Probation is a punishment on both games to players for repeating their actions inappropriately.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II[]
In Black Ops II, Probation is given to players who play inappropriately, for example if a player has been kicked out three times for Friendly Fire or leaving public match games too early, they will risk getting placed in Probation from multiplayer or public matches. In League Play, if a player leaves the match early, they can be on probation as well for league of play. If a player is on Probation, they are temporarily banned from joining a specific lobby. In Zombies, a player can be in probation for cheating or misconduct. Probation usually lasts for 30 seconds for the first offense, 3 minutes for the second offense, and 5 minutes for the third and further offenses. If a player is caught hacking or cheating, they will be at risk getting an indefinite probation which means they can no longer play a match again. Surprisingly, players are allowed to play Private Matches if they are on Probation.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III[]
Probation is back in Black Ops III, and does the same function as Black Ops II which temporarily disables a player from a specific match. If a player gets kicked out multiple times, a probation will be activated to them. If a player is cheating, hacking, or misconduct, that also counts as a risk of getting Probation. If a player leaves an Arena match early, they will lose half XP and will be placed in probation automatically. Misconduct means a player is talking trash or boosting. The first offense length is 30 seconds, the second offense length is 3 minutes and the third and further offenses are 5 minutes long.