National Corrections Day

National Corrections Day is an annual event, held on the third Friday of January, established to celebrate and give thanks to all corrections staff who work on the frontline with offenders.

The initiative was established by Corrective Services NSW in 2017 before it was adopted by other states and territories, and New Zealand, in 2018. It is now an important national event that continues to grow in momentum every year.

Read more about the inception of Corrections Day by CSNSW on the International Corrections and Prisons Associations website. 

The importance of National Corrections Day

Across Australia, there are about 25,000 frontline correctional staff who manage offenders in prison and in the community every day. These include custodial officers, industry overseers, services and programs staff, psychologists, and parole officers.

While services like the police and ambulance carry out their duties face-to-face with the community, corrections staff work tirelessly behind the scenes, away from the public eye, and without much public recognition.

NCD is an opportunity to pause and formally acknowledge the efforts of correctional staff and thank them for the exceptional job they do.

Our staff are a highly trained, multi-disciplinary team of professionals who oversee offenders in and out of custody, from their first brush with the system to their reintegration into the community after release.

Our employees face a tough, and sometimes dangerous, job each day, while serving the community and working on offender rehabilitation every step of the way. NCD is a chance to recognise this important work.

How we celebrate National Corrections Day

For National Corrections Day each year, CSNSW takes the media behind the walls of prisons and Community Corrections offices to hear the stories of CSNSW staff who protect the community, rehabilitate offenders, and reduce reoffending.

These media stories appear on TV, radio, in print and online, allowing the public to meet the faces of CSNSW staff and better understand the important contribution they make every day.

Across the state, prisons and community corrections offices also hold celebratory morning teas, barbecues, gatherings, and staff awards ceremonies, often with local stakeholders, such as councils, NGOs, and other emergency services in attendance.

If you’re a journalist and are interested in covering NCD, or a community stakeholder wishing to participate in an NCD event at your local prison or Community Corrections office, please send us an email: csnsw.media@justice.nsw.gov.au

Breaking down misconceptions

The general public’s perception of the correctional system is shaped through sensationalised news stories, and dramatised films and TV shows, typically presenting a very outdated and archaic prison and parole system.

The days of correctional staff being ‘turnkeys’ who let offenders in and out of cells are long gone – their job is about much more than just locking people away as punishment.

NCD is an opportunity to counteract the unrealistic portrayal and misrepresentation in popular culture. It’s a chance to demystify the work of corrections staff and bust the myth of key-turning prison guards.

National Corrections Day Ambassadors

Every year for NCD, we shine the media spotlight on selected staff from a variety of workplaces across the state, giving them the opportunity to talk publicly about their roles.  

Our NCD ambassadors share personal stories of how they came to work for CSNSW, why they were drawn to this line of work, what a typical day in ‘the office’ looks like, and who they are outside of their jobs.

How you can support National Corrections Day

• Media can report on the work of CSNSW staff and NCD
• Councils can light up landmarks within their LGA in blue on NCD
• Members of the public can like, comment, and share our NCD social media posts
• Community stakeholders can attend an NCD event at their local prison or Community Corrections office
• Sister agencies like NSW Police, NSW Ambulance, Fire and Rescue NSW, and other emergency services can attend an NCD event and help spread the word by posting about NCD on their social media platforms.