Correctional Services
Workforce Overview
Correctional Services are an essential part of the criminal justice system. This workforce keeps the community safe and assists persons in custody to reintegrate into society.
The Correctional Services landscape is multifaceted as each state or territory governs their own Correctional Services program.
State and Territory Correctional Services include:
- adult custodial
- community corrections
- specialist services
Private prisons are managed by private industry.
Public Skills Australia has identified that the Correctional Services industry-sector experiences the following workforce challenges:
- Expansion of core duties
- Technological development
- Recruitment and retention
- Diversity and inclusion
- Career pathways
- Climate change
- Demographic shifts
- Competition for labour
- Managing demand
- Public trust and perceptions
- Workforce industry
The types of Correctional Services roles include the following.
Many jurisdictions have developed strategies to help address these workforce challenges.
- Embracing diversity
- Promoting officer safety
- Improved training for women in the workforce
- Supporting staff wellbeing
- Promoting cultural competency
Training Overview
The CSC Correctional Services Training Package summarises the national standards for training within the Correctional Services industry-sector.
The training package is delivered through enterprise and independent Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). Some Correctional Services jurisdictions also function as an RTO, allowing them to deliver the training as part of the CSC Correctional Services Training Package. This ensures that training for Corrections officers meets the agreed national standards.
As a Jobs and Skills Council, Public Skills Australia plays an important role in maintaining this training package. Click here to learn more about the CSC Correctional Services Training Package.
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References
CSC Training Package enrolment reference: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Total VET students and courses 2022: DataBuilder [data set], ncver.edu.au, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
Existing workforce strategies
Australian Capital Territory Corrective Services, Corrections Management, Australian Capital Territory Corrective Services, Government of Australian Capital Territory, 2018.
Corrective Services NSW, Change Management Plan for Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW): Custody based Service Delivery Model Change, Corrective Services NSW, Government of New South Wales, 2023.
Corrective Services Tasmania, Changing Lives, Creating Futures: A Strategic Plan for Corrections in Tasmania 2023, Corrective Services Tasmania, Tasmanian Government, 2023.
Department for Correctional Services South Australia, Department for Correctional Services Strategic Plan 2022─2026, Department for Correctional Services South Australia, Government of South Australia, 2022.
Northern Territory Correctional Services, Strategic Plan 2023-2026, Northern Territory Correctional Services, Northern territory Government.
Queensland Corrective Services (QCS), QCS Strategic Plan 2023-2027, QCS, Queensland Government, 2023.
Victoria Corrections Prisons and Parole, Safety Corporate Plan 2023─2027, Victoria Corrections Prisons and Parole, Victoria State Government, 2023.
Disclaimer
This data have been collected through consultation with industry-sector representatives as part of the Workforce Plan 2024: Correctional Services. These figures represent a snapshot in time and are subject to change. Public Skills Australia Limited has made every effort to ensure that the information and data contained in this report are accurate, up to date and have been sourced appropriately. Our organisation will update these figures annually as part of its Workforce Planning function.
Correctional officers are also known as prison officers and custodial officers. Correctional officer has been used throughout this document as the preferred industry term and aligns to ANZSCO 442111. Community corrections officers are also known as probation officers, probation services officers, probation and parole officers, or parole officers. Community corrections officers has been used throughout this document as the preferred industry term and aligns to ANZSCO 411714.
Also note: The Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) does not currently delineate between supervisory or managerial roles for the Correctional Services workforce, and State/Territory annual reporting data rarely distinguishes between supervisory and non-supervisory staff. As such, data on this cohort is not currently available.