Quiet achievers helping to rehabilitate offenders

Nestled within Tuggerah Business Park lies Wyong Community Corrections, a space few Coasties know exists.

However, quietly working behind the scenes are those dedicated to the not-so-tiny task of rehabilitating offenders.

David Dallinger and Emma Roberts are two of the team’s stellar Community Corrections Officers whose work supervising offenders on court-based orders, including parole, mostly goes unseen but is paramount to keeping the Central Coast community safe.

Dallinger, aged 46, left a career as a disability support worker, as well as 20 years in instrumental music education, for his current gig which is all about helping offenders to reintegrate safely into the community and be prepared for life after supervision.

“During my time with Corrective Services NSW, I’ve discovered that no-one in the community seems to know what we do, just as I had no idea before I started working here in 2021,” Dallinger said.

“Yet we’re responsible for supervising around 35,000 offenders in NSW who are serving community-based court orders, including parole, which includes reporting to one of 58 Community Corrections offices across the state.

“While supervising offenders, we link them with services to address things like dependency issues or ill mental health, all while helping them to develop the skills and insights to navigate their lives in a safer way – I love the psychological and intellectual wrestle that comes with challenging offender attitudes.

“Success is ultimately when an offender completes their order and never comes back, but day to day it can be as small as an offender attending the office on time, providing a clean drug test, managing to complete an interview without storming out, or walking away from an argument without resorting to violence – it’s as varied as our offenders themselves.”

Dallinger and Roberts are among 10,500 Corrective Services NSW staff being celebrated on National Corrections Day (NCD), Friday, May 16, for their commitment to community safety and reducing reoffending.

NCD takes the community behind the prison walls and Community Corrections office doors to hear the stories of staff and learn about the important work they do, which mostly goes unseen.

Roberts, 36, joined Corrective Services NSW after working in child protection and has never looked back.

“I have met some wonderful people who have been down on their luck and have persevered through adversity and it is heart-warming when I get to see them finish their orders,” she said.

“Some of our clients have never had anyone in their corner, and it’s amazing to see those who commit to their supervision and the programs run by Corrective Services, and how they change the old, dysfunctional behaviours that would get them into trouble.

“There’s often public outcry when an offender is released on parole, however it’s incredibly important in supporting them to reintegrate into society and reducing their risk of reoffending.” 

To mark National Corrections Day, prisons and community corrections offices around the state will host celebratory events, including morning teas, barbecues, and staff awards ceremonies, to honour the contributions of correctional staff.

The Corrective Services NSW workforce includes about 5,300 custodial officers working in prisons, 2,100 Community Corrections staff supervising offenders in the community, and more than 3,000 psychologists, programs, education, industries, and corporate professionals.