Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) is an executive agency of the government of New South Wales, Australia. CSNSW is responsible for the state's prisons and a range of programs for managing released prisoners 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 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. People in custody and those supervised in the community are assessed for relevant interventions to reduce their risks of re-offending. Corrective Services NSW works in partnership with other government and non-government justice and human services agencies in regard to people in custody and supervised people in the community.
The agency head office is located in the City of Sydney.
Legislation CSNSW's operations are governed by a number of State laws. The primary legislation which CSNSW operates is the and its regulation, the .
Other relevant pieces of legislation include:
, Crimes (Interstate Transfer of Community Based Sentences) Act 2026 (NSW)
, which assists the
,
Structure
CSNSW is an independent Public Service (executive) agency, headed by Commissioner Gary McCahon PSM, with oversight and direction from the Minister for Corrections, Anoulack Chanthivong.Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Corrective Services NSW) Order 2024 (NSW). 14 August 2024. Commenced 1 October 2024. CSNSW is further divided into three divisions each headed by a Deputy Commissioner, further subdivided into sections each headed by an Assistant Commissioner, with the following accurate at 30 October 2025:
Strategy and Governance (Deputy Commissioner Luke Grant): Delivery, Performance and Culture (Assistant Commissioner Chantal Snell) Strategy and Policy (Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Galouzis) Security and Custody (Deputy Commissioner Leon Taylor) Custody Metro (Assistant Commissioner John Buckley ACM) Custody Regional (Assistant Commissioner Craig Smith) Community, Industry and Capacity (Deputy Commissioner Dr Anne Marie Martin) Community Corrections (Assistant Commissioner Dr Bernhard Ripperger) Contracts and Commissioning (Assistant Commissioner Craig Mason) Work and Education (Acting Assistant Commissioner Shannon Kay)
CSNSW was formerly a branch of the Department of Communities and Justice, under which the Commissioner would report to the Secretary of the Department, who in turn reported to the Minister.
CSNSW does not administer youth detention centres, which continue to be administered by Youth Justice NSW, as a division of the Department of Communities and Justice.Children (Detention Centres) Act 1987 (NSW). As amended at 19 February 2024.
Corrective Services Industries Corrective Services Industries (CSI) is a branch of CSNSW (presumably under the Community, Industry and Capacity division) which operates the prisoner labor programs in NSW prisons, where inmates are required to perform work in various industries.
Some work programs are aimed at reducing the cost of corrective services in NSW, where inmates perform services for the corrective system itself, such as in prison kitchens, laundries, ground and building maintenance and hygiene. Other programs are aimed at education and training of inmates, and others are partnerships with private businesses, producing revenue for CSNSW. In 2016, CSI had $113 million in revenue and earned $45.6 million in profit.
CSI states that its philosophy is rooted in the voluntary employment of inmates in correctional centres, in accordance with Article 22 of the International Labour Organization Constitution, and a reported 85.7% of "eligible" inmates are in custody-based employment. Prisoners are deemed not eligible to work if they are unwell, in hospital, elderly, serving short sentences, participating in full-time education or other full-time programs, if their protection status prevents their access to employment, or if they are located at facilities where the policy is not to provide work or where work is not available. Capable inmates are legally required to work where directed by the governor of their correctional centre, s 6. with a restriction that unsentenced or civil inmates can only be required to keep clean the sections of the correctional centre they personally use. s 37.
CSI pays prisoners between $24.60 and $70.55 for a 30-hour work week, significantly less than minimum wage. CSI do not pay prisoners superannuation, nor do they pay payroll tax. Prison workers are not legally considered workers, and as such are not entitled to workers' compensation if injured.
Facilities +FacilityOperatorSecurity ClassificationOpenedAmber Laurel Correctional CentreCSNSWIntake and transit facility in Western SydneyBathurst Correctional ComplexCSNSWMixed-security facility for males1888Broken Hill Correctional CentreCSNSWMedium and minimum-security facility for males and females1892Cessnock Correctional ComplexCSNSWComplex houses:
Cessnock Correctional Centre – minimum- and medium-security facility for males Hunter Correctional Centre – maximum-security facility for males Shortland Correctional Centre – maximum security facility for males1974Clarence Correctional Centre, GraftonSercoMaximum- and minimum-security correctional centre for male and females2020Compulsory Drug Treatment Correctional CentreCSNSWHouses participants sentenced to a Compulsory Drug Treatment OrderCooma Correctional CentreCSNSWMinimum- and medium-security facilityEmu Plains Correctional Centre CSNSWMinimum-security facility for femalesGlen Innes Correctional Centre CSNSWMinimum-security facility for malesGoulburn Correctional CentreCSNSWIncorporates two correctional facilities
Goulburn Correctional Centre – Maximum/minimum security institution for males High Risk Management Correctional Centre – purpose-built maximum-security facility for malesFrancis Greenway Correctional Complex, Berkshire Park (Formerly John Morony Correctional Complex)CSNSWIncorporates three correctional facilities:
John Morony Correctional Centre, a maximum/medium security correctional centre for remand and sentenced males Geoffrey Pearce Correctional Centre (formerly Outer Metro Multi Purpose Correctional Centre), a minimum security correctional centre for males Dillwynia Correctional Centre, a maximum security correctional centre for femalesJunee Correctional CentreGEO GroupMixed-security correctional centre for malesKariong Correctional CentreCSNSWAn intake and transit centre for classified inmates transitioning between Sydney and the NSW north coastKirkconnell Correctional CentreCSNSWMinimum-security facility for malesLithgow Correctional CentreCSNSWMaximum-security facility for malesLong Bay Correctional Complex, MatravilleCSNSWIncorporates two facilities:
Long Bay Hospital – a maximum to minimum security facility for medical and psychiatric cases, and remandees Metropolitan Special Programs Centre (MSPC) – a maximum/minimum security facilityMacquarie Correctional Centre CSNSWMaximum-security facility for malesMannus Correctional Centre CSNSWMinimum-security facility for malesMary Wade Correctional CentreCSNSWMinimum-security facility for males2017Mid North Coast Correctional Centre, KempseyCSNSWMaximum-, medium- and minimum- security centre for male and females2004Oberon Correctional Centre CSNSWMinimum-security facility for malesParklea Correctional CentreMTC/BroadspectrumHouses remand, minimum- and maximum-security inmatesSilverwater Correctional Complex, SilverwaterCSNSWIncorporates three facilities:
Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre a maximum security institution for women and the major reception centre for females in NSW. Metropolitan Remand & Reception Centre (MRRC) a maximum security correctional facility for men Dawn de Loas Correctional Centre Area 1 & 2 is a minimum security correctional centre for men.South Coast Correctional Centre, NowraCSNSWHouses males with minimum, medium and maximum-security areas2010St Heliers Correctional Centre CSNSWMinimum-security institution for malesTamworth Correctional Centre CSNSWMedium security facility for malesWellington Correctional CentreCSNSWHouses maximum security inmates
History
NSW established jails in Berrima (1836), Cockatoo Island (1839), Darlinghurst (1841), Parramatta (1842), Maitland (1848), Cooma Correctional Centre (1873) and (site of the current Four Seasons hotel located) in The Rocks and later in Goulburn (1884), Bathurst (1888), Broken Hill Correctional Centre (1892) in the state's far west, Long Bay (1909) as the State Reformatory for Women, and Emu Plains (1914). In more recent years, correctional centres (as they are now known) have opened at Parklea (1983), Cessnock, Junee (1993), Lithgow, Silverwater (1997), Brewarrina (2000), John Morony Correctional Centre and Dillwynia Women's Correctional Centre in north-west Sydney, Kempsey (2004), Wellington (2007), and Nowra (2010).
Early years (1788–1874)
Great Britain started the European settlement of the Colony of New South Wales in 1788, establishing a penal colony at what is now Sydney. The incentive to establishment the colony came from the conclusion (1783) of the American War of Independence, which forced Britain to find ways of dealing with criminals other than transporting them to North America. The initial settlement at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson involved housing convicts in tents, guarded by marines. Further convict shipments followed, and a surge of convicts arrived in Sydney after the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815. Convicts worked for pay and, where good behaviour was demonstrated, could be assigned to masters. Chain gangs operated from 1826 up until transportation ended in 1840.
In the colony's early years, prisons and executions were managed first by the provost marshal, a military officer, and then, from 1824, by the sheriff.
List of provost marshals and sheriffs +Name Title Appointed byTerm start Term endTerm durationHenry BrewerProvost MarshalGovernor Arthur PhillipThomas SmythProvost MarshalGovernor John HunterGarnham BlaxcellActing Provost MarshalGovernor Philip Gidley KingWilliam GoreProvost MarshalColonial Secretary Robert StewartJohn Thomas CampbellProvost MarshalGovernor Lachlan MacquarieJohn MackanessSheriffColonial Secretary Henry BathurstWilliam CarterSheriffAttorney-General Alexander Baxter18281828Thomas MacquoidSheriffAttorney-General Alexander Baxter18291841Adolphus William YoungSheriffAttorney-General John Plunkett18431849Gilbert EliotSheriffAttorney-General John Plunkett18491854John O'Neill BrenanSheriffAttorney-General John Plunkett18551860George Richard UhrSheriffAttorney-General John Hargrave18611864Harold MacleanSheriffAttorney-General James Martin18641874
Departments of Prisons (1874–1970) and Corrective Services (1970–78) The colony established its first Department of Prisons in 1874, with Sheriff Harold Maclean appointed as the first Comptroller-General.
The Department changed its name to 'Corrective Services' in 1970, and McGeechan's title changed to Commissioner. Eight years later, the Wran Government accepted the Royal Commission's recommendation that the post of commissioner be abolished in favour of a three-person Corrective Services Commission.
List of comptrollers-general