9 September
Forty-six new corrections officers and two Corrections Inmate Employment instructors graduated today from their six-week course at the Trentham Staff Training College. The graduates are now set to join the frontline of community safety and are destined for positions at Prison and Corrections Inmate Employment sites across the country.
One recruit also received the Minister’s Excellence Award at the ceremony, which has been established by the Minister of Corrections to promote and honour the leadership, professionalism and all-round excellence of one particularly outstanding graduate of the Department’s six-week live in training course.
“Working at Corrections is an immensely rewarding profession and one where you will play a key role in improving the safety of New Zealanders and I’m pleased to welcome you to the Department of Corrections,” said Corrections Chief Executive Barry Matthews upon presenting the new officers with their certificates.
The recipient of the Minister's Excellence award was Isla Fitch, who was selected for her “academic excellence, leadership, and professionalism. Isla achieved excellent results throughout the academic and practical aspects of the course and was confident, well organised and prepared to go the extra mile,” Mr Matthews said on presenting the award.
Notes to Editors
Corrections officers are responsible for ensuring prisoners are safely, securely and humanely contained during their sentence and they actively work with prisoners to make positive changes to their behaviour.
Corrections Inmate Employment instructors are responsible for teaching trade and technical training skills to prisoners to help them establish pathways towards an offence-free lifestyle.
The new recruits have spent the last six weeks living at the Staff Training College adjacent to Rimutaka Prison where they have learnt the basics in actively managing all types of prisoners, from dangerous and disturbed to rehabilitation-focused quieter types.
Graduates have covered modules in Corrections legislation, the Sentencing and Parole Acts, site and perimeter safety, managing prisoners’ visitors, drug reduction in prison, gang management and avoiding being compromised – or ‘getting got’ by prisoners, among others.
During their career in Prison Services the graduates will continue to undertake workplace training toward National Certificates in Offender Management, refresher training and specialist role training as required.
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