Passionate about integrity: Corrections’ new Professional
Standards Unit (clockwise from back left) Senior Investigators
Brent Tomlinson and Tony Moore, Chief Investigator Chris Linton,
and Senior Investigator Rochelle Danby.
Chris Linton is passionate about integrity, and as the head of the newly established Corrections Professional Standards Unit, he’s keen to get everyone thinking and talking about it.
“We intend to play a prominent role in emphasising to managers and team leaders the importance of taking time to make Corrections’ values and code of conduct a positive aspect of working life,” he says.
This year, over 7,000 Corrections staff have gone about their duties in our prisons and communities with skill, integrity and professionalism. But, unfortunately, some staff members (35 people, or about 0.5 per cent of the total) were dismissed for issues ranging from performance issues to the carrying of drugs to prisoners, to inappropriate relationships with prisoners.
Corrections takes these cases very seriously. Chief Executive Barry Matthews recently set up the Professional Standards Unit to uncover and root out unethical behaviour wherever it exists. Chris and his team will report directly to the Office of the Chief Executive.
Working closely with other teams such as Internal Audit, Crime Prevention Information Capability Teams and the Prison Inspectorate, the new Unit, made up of highly trained and experienced investigators will be closely examining allegations of corrupt or illegal behaviour within Corrections. The Unit members will operate under a recently approved charter, which gives them their mandate and defines their scope and authority to act.
But Chris says the Unit will also have a wider role as educators and mentors.
“I want Corrections staff to have the ability and confidence to recognise and challenge unacceptable behaviour at all levels. This requires commitment and courage on the part of staff and we want to be there supporting our people when they need it most,” he says.
At present, New Zealand ranks first equal with Finland and Denmark for lack of corruption in day-to-day life according to Transparency International’s 2007 Corruption Perception Index. We intend to do our bit to keep it that way.
”I’ve been an investigator, educator and manager within the public service for a long time and I know the environment we are all working in. My professional view is that New Zealand is lucky to have a very honest and ethical public service. This includes Corrections. However, we can never be complacent about this as it’s a reality that some individuals do things they shouldn’t,” he says.
Chris and his team aren’t simply here to find out when something goes wrong. They also want to know why it went wrong in the first place and work with management and staff to prevent it happening in the future. This is fundamental to the role. Staff who are falsely accused of serious wrongdoing will also benefit from the Professional Standards Unit’s oversight of investigations.
“In a prison environment, staff can easily become the target of malicious complaints that prove to be unfounded when you peel back the layers,” Chris says.
“Corrections officers receive training on what to do if they feel they are being manipulated by a prisoner, but they need support from above.”
Chris’s belief in the important role managers play in maintaining organisational integrity was borne out when he attended the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference 2007 in Sydney in October.
“The importance of ‘tone from the top’, where managers are responsible for setting and demonstrating a high ethical tone was a frequent theme and made very clear at the conference,” he says.
So far, Chris has visited five prisons to meet front-line staff and managers, but he’s quick to point out that their focus on prisons is only an initial one.
“It’s important to stress that we’ll be working across the entire organisation - from head office to probation offices to prisons.”
Got a story for Corrections News or want to request the print edition?
Email commdesk@corrections.govt.nz or phone (04) 460 3365.
ISSN 1178-8453