Corrective Services NSW
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 July 2009 |
| Preceding Agency |
|
| Type | Department |
| Jurisdiction | New South Wales |
| Headquarters | Henry Deane Building, 20 Lee Street, Haymarket, Sydney |
| Employees | 6,000 (2009) |
| Annual budget | A$1 billion (2009) |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent Agency | Department Attorney General and Justice |
| Child Agency | |
| Website | http://www.correctiveservices.nsw.gov.au/ |
Corrective Services NSW is an agency of the Justice Branch of the Department of Attorney General and Justice in the Government of New South Wales that is responsible for the provision of custodial and community-based services as an important element of the criminal justice system in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
The services provided include correctional centre custody of remand and sentenced inmates, home detention, parole, pre-sentence reports and advice to courts and releasing authorities, community service orders and other forms of community-based offender supervision. Offenders in custody and those supervised in the community are assessed for relevant interventions to reduce their risks of re-offending. Corrective Services NSW works in partnership with other government and non-government justice and human services agencies in regard to inmates in custody and offenders in the community.
Corrective Services NSW is headed by a Commissioner, presently Peter Severin, who reports to the Minister for Corrections, presently the Hon. David Elliott MP, who is ultimately responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales.
A number of pieces of legislation govern the activities of the agency including Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 (NSW), Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), Crimes Act 1900 No 40 (NSW), Crimes (Interstate Transfer of Community Based Sentences) Act 2004 (NSW), Protected Disclosures Act 1994 No 92 (NSW), Summary Offences Act 1988 No 25 (NSW), Prisoners (Interstate Transfer) Act 1982 No 104 (NSW), and Parole Orders (Transfer) Act 1983 No 190 (NSW) along with other legislation.[1]
The agency head office is in the Henry Deane Building in Haymarket, City of Sydney.[2]
Structure
The agency reports to Minister for Corrections, The Hon. David Elliott MP. The current head of the Corrective Services is the Commissioner of Corrective Services, Peter Severin.
History
Following European settlement of the Colony of New South Wales in 1788, a penal colony was established, at what is now Sydney. Establishment of the colony was motivated by the conclusion of the American War of Independence, which forced Britain to find ways of dealing with criminals other than transporting them to the United States. The initial settlement at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson involved housing convicts in tents, guarded by marines. A further surge of convicts arrived in Sydney following the end of the Napoleonic wars. Convicts worked for pay and, where good behaviour was demonstrated, could be assigned to masters. Chain gangs were established in 1826 up until transportation ended in 1840.[3]
Gaols were established in Berrima (1836), Cockatoo Island (1839), Darlinghurst (1841), Parramatta (1842), Maitland (1848), and (site of the current Four Seasons hotel located) in The Rocks and later in Goulburn (1884) and Bathurst (1888), Long Bay (1909) as the State Reformatory for Women, and Emu Plains (1914).[4] In more recent years, correctional centres (as they are now known) has been established at Parklea (1983), Cessnock, Junee (1993), Lithgow, Silverwater (1997), Brewarrina (2000), John Morony Correctional Centre and Dillwynia Women's Correctional Centre in north-west Sydney, Kempsey (2004), Wellington (2007), and Nowra (2010).[3]
See also
- GEO Group Australia
- Government of New South Wales
- Juvenile Justice NSW
- List of New South Wales government agencies
References
- ^ "Legislation: Acts". Corrective Services NSW. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ "Contact us". Corrective Services NSW. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ a b "History of NSW Corrections". Corrective Services NSW. 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ "Chronology - A History of Australian Prison Reform". Four Corners. Australia: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 November 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
External links
