| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 July 2003 [1] |
| Type | Part of Corrections and Justice Services [2] |
| Jurisdiction | Victoria, Australia |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Department of Justice and Community Safety |
Corrections Victoria is part of the Department of Justice and Community Safety in the Victorian Government, and is responsible for the provision of custodial and community-based services as an important element of the criminal justice system in the state of Victoria, Australia. In March 2018, Dr Emma Cassar was announced as the new Commissioner of Corrections Victoria to commence in June 2018. [3]
The services provided include correctional centre custody of remand and sentenced inmates, 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. Corrections Victoria 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.
The Office of Corrections (OOC) was established in August 1983 as a separate government department responsible for the management of adults corrections reporting to the Minister of Corrections. [4] In October 1992, the Kennett government commenced a major prison reform program involving the private sector financing, designing, building and managing new prisons. [5] The OOC was abolished and reconstituted as the Correctional Services Division within the new Department of Justice. [4] In 1994, the government privatised prisoner transport, security and escorts to the higher courts. [4] In 1995, the Office of the Correctional Services Commissioner (OCSC) was established within the Department of Justice, and in 1996, the CORE - the Public Correctional Enterprise was separately established also within the Department of Justice. [4] [1] The OCSC was responsible for monitoring the performance of all correctional services. [1] CORE was responsible for managing the public prisons, Community Correctional Services and the Security and Emergency Services Group (SESG). [1] In August 1996, the first private prison opened the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre followed by the Fulham Correctional Centre and the Port Phillip Prison in 1997. [4] On 1 July 2003, the OCSC and CORE were amalgamated into a single entity Corrections Victoria to oversee corrections. [1]
Corrections Victoria oversees the management of Victoria's 11 public prisons in the Department's Regions. [6]
The Regions also run the Community Correctional Service on behalf of Corrections Victoria using around 50 different reporting centres.
The Probation Service for England and Wales is a statutory criminal justice service, mainly responsible for the supervision of offenders in the community and the provision of reports to the criminal courts to assist them in their sentencing duties. It was established in its current form by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act in April 2001, but has existed since 1907 as a set of area-based services interacting at arm's length with central government.
A federal prison is operated under the jurisdiction of a federal government as opposed to a state or provincial body. Federal prisons are used for convicts who violated federal law, inmates considered dangerous (Brazil), or those sentenced to longer terms of imprisonment (Canada). Not all federated countries have a legal concept of "federal prison".
The Department of Corrections is the public service department of New Zealand charged with managing the New Zealand corrections system. This includes the operations of the 18 prisons in New Zealand and services run by Probation. Corrections' role and functions were defined and clarified with the passing of the Corrections Act 2004. In early 2006, Corrections officially adopted the Māori name Ara Poutama Aotearoa.
His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) responsible for the correctional services in England and Wales. It was created in 2004 as the National Offender Management Service(NOMS) by combining parts of both of the headquarters of the National Probation Service and His Majesty's Prison Service with some existing Home Office functions. In 2017, some of the agency's functions transferred to the Ministry of Justice and it received a new name.
A probation or parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probation and parole officers are employed by the government of the jurisdiction in which they operate, although some are employed by private companies that provide contracted services to the government.
Cooma Correctional Centre, an Australian minimum to medium prison for males, is located in Cooma, New South Wales. The centre is operated by Corrective Services NSW an agency of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales. The centre detains sentenced prisoners and persons on remand under New South Wales and/or Commonwealth legislation.
ACT Corrective Services (ACTCS) is an agency of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACSD) of the Australian Capital Territory government in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It is responsible for a wide range of activities and services in the area aimed at protecting the community and reducing offending behaviour.
Prisons in Hong Kong are correctional facilities in Hong Kong, which are managed by the Correctional Services Department. Facilities have different purposes. Hong Kong has one of the highest rates of imprisonment in the region.
A prison officer (PO) or corrections officer (CO), also known as a Correctional Law Enforcement Officer or less formally as a prison guard, is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been convicted of a crime and sentenced to imprisonment. They are also responsible for the security of the facility and its property as well as other law enforcement functions. Most prison officers or corrections officers are employed by the government of the jurisdiction in which they operate, although some are employed by private companies that provide prison services to the government.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with managing prisons and Young Offender Institutions.
The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in North America, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the company's facilities include illegal immigration detention centers, minimum security detention centers, and mental-health and residential-treatment facilities. It also operates government-owned facilities pursuant to management contracts. As of December 31, 2021, the company managed and/or owned 86,000 beds at 106 facilities. In 2019, agencies of the federal government of the United States generated 53% of the company's revenues. Up until 2021 the company was designated as a real estate investment trust, at which time the board of directors elected to reclassify as a C corporation under the stated goal of reducing the company's debt.
Manitoba Justice, or the Department of Justice, is the provincial government department responsible for administering the Crown Law justice systems in the province of Manitoba.
In Canada, the criminal legal system is divided into federal and provincial/territorial jurisdictions. Provincial/territorial correctional facilities hold people who have been sentenced to less than two years in custody and people being held on remand. Federal Correctional Facilities, which are the responsibility of Correctional Service of Canada—is concerned with people who have been sentenced to two years or more in custody.
Corrective Services New South Wales (CSNSW) is a division of the Department of Communities and Justice of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. CSNSW is responsible for the state's prisons and a range of programs for managing offenders in the community. The state has 36 prisons, 33 run by CSNSW and three privately operated. The agency traces its origins back to 1788, when New South Wales was founded as a penal colony.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) is one of nine government departments in the state of Victoria, Australia.
Punishment in Australia arises when an individual has been accused or convicted of breaking the law through the Australian criminal justice system. Australia uses prisons, as well as community corrections. When awaiting trial, prisoners may be kept in specialised remand centres or within other prisons.
The Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS) is an executive branch agency of the U.S. state of Georgia. DCS is headquartered in the James H "Sloppy" Floyd Veterans Memorial Building with additional field offices throughout the state. DCS is tasked with: the supervision and reentry services of felony probationers and parolees; the oversight of adult misdemeanor probation providers; and, provides administrative support to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV).
The New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice, a department of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for the delivery of services to some of the most disadvantaged individuals, families and communities; and the administration and development of a just and equitable legal system of courts, tribunals, laws and other mechanisms that further the principles of justice in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It also provides services to children and young people, families, people who are homeless, people with a disability, their families and carers, women, and older people. The department is the lead agency of the Stronger Communities cluster of the New South Wales government.
