How do I get a job with Corrective Services NSW?

New vacant positions are advertised via the I work for NSW website. Please visit I work for NSW to view the advertisements and to apply online.

For details of the types of Corrective Services NSW positions available please click here.

Please note that you will have to be an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident in order to apply.

If you are a health professional please note that medical services in New South Wales correctional centres are provided by the Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network, which is a Statutory Health Corporation and is funded by the NSW Ministry of Health. The Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network can be contacted via their website.

How can I contact a friend or relative in custody?

If you have a friend or relative in custody, you can contact them by letter. If you know the inmate's Master Index Number (MIN), that should be written on the front of the envelope under the their name. The postal address for each correctional centre is available on the list of Correctional Centres in NSW. To confirm the inmates location (if unknown), Inmate Locations can be contacted from 8.30am to 4.30pm - Monday to Friday on (02) 8346 1000.

When you make contact with the inmate, ask if you can have their MIN.

Inmates can contact you by telephone but telephone calls cannot be made to inmates. 

Find out more about how to contact an inmate.

How can I find out in which prison my friend or family member is located?

The provisions of the Privacy and Personal Information Act 1998 and the ;Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 restrict what information can be disclosed. In limited circumstances personal information about an inmate, such as location, may be disclosed. If you want the location of an inmate your identity must be confirmed. The Sentence Administration Branch can be contacted from 8.30am to 4.30pm - Monday to Friday on 02 8346 1000. You can also email Inmate Locations.

Read more about how to find an inmate.

Can an inmate telephone me?

Corrective Services NSW has an Offender Telephone System that is used by inmates to contact their families, friends and solicitors. Inmates are allowed up to 10 nominated personal numbers (family and friends) and three legal numbers (solicitors). The recommended maximum call duration is six minutes for local personal calls and 10 minutes for legal calls and international personal calls.

There are also preset numbers known as CADL (Common Auto Dial List) numbers. These are for community-based services, such as the Legal Aid Commission of NSW, Aboriginal legal services, NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission and the Hepatitis Helpline. These calls are all free to inmates.

Can inmates make collect calls?

All personal and legal phone numbers are preset and therefore no collect calls can be made on the system. Inmates pay for all calls to their personal and legal numbers.

Are calls made by inmates monitored?

All personal calls on the Controlled Telephone System are monitored and recorded. Some, but not all, common list calls are monitored and recorded.

Can I send money to an inmate?

Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) has made depositing money into inmate accounts easier. Families and friends can electronically deposit money by using BPAY (internet and phone banking) or make a deposit using cash or a debit card at any post office. CSNSW has phased out cash, cheque and money order deposits at all its correctional centres. Visit our e-banking page to learn more about depositing money into an inmate's account.

Can I get my friend or relative transferred to a different correctional centre or moved out of maximum security?

Any Classification or Placement concerns from family or friends of Inmates should be forwarded in the first instance to the Officer In Charge (OIC) of the Correctional Centre where the Inmate is housed.

Further enquiries may subsequently be made in writing and mailed to:
 
Office of the Commissioner
Corrective Services NSW
GPO Box 31
Sydney NSW 2001

Who runs Clarence, Junee and Parklea Correctional Centres?

Clarence, Junee, Parklea Correctional Centres are privately operated correctional centres.

Junee Correctional Centre is operated by GEO Group Australia.

Clarence Correctional Centre is operated by Serco.

Parklea is operated by MTC Australia.

My family is trying to trace its family tree and we think one of our dead relatives was either in prison or working in one early last century; can you help?

If you think the records are 70 years or older, you should first make enquiries via the State Records website. Records 70 years or older that are held by Corrective Services NSW can be accessed by applying for government information under the GIPA Act (Government Information Public Access Act), information on applying can be found at:

Access to information

Non family members can also obtain records as described above.

We are trying to find one of our relatives who used to be an employee or inmate of Corrective Services, what should we do?

For records created less than 70 years ago about a person, anyone can lodge a formal access application under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).

Applications and requests under the GIPA Act can be completed online, or sent to:

Open Government, Information and Privacy Unit
DCJ
Locked Bag 5000
Parramatta NSW 2124

email: infoandprivacy@dcj.nsw.gov.au

An application fee of $30 ($15 in cases of hardship or where public interest is demonstrated) may be required. Processing charges may also apply. The GIPA Act provides agencies with a general discretion to waive, reduce or refund any fee or charge that may be imposed under the GIPA Act in any circumstance they consider to be appropriate.

Information about an individual who has been dead for more than 30 years is not considered personal information under NSW privacy legislation.

Find out more by reading DCJ Right to Information policy.

How can an inmate make an application under the GIPA Act?

Inmates can seek assistance from their SAPO and lodge a request directly from their centre. Inmates can also have a family member, solicitor or advocate from another service lodge the GIPA on their behalf with an authority to act. 

Formal access applications for CSNSW, Serious Offenders Review Council (SORC) and State Parole Authority (SPA) records under the GIPA Act must comply with the following:

• Must be in writing and sent to the address stated below or lodged online
• Be accompanied by the application fee of $30. An automatic 50% reduction of the application fee is applicable for inmates under instruction of the Commissioner. The GIPA application fee can be paid from an inmate account.
• State a postal address for correspondence in connection with the application
• Contain specific information (including specific record type/ and a valid date range e.g. 1 January- 31 January 2017 to enable the Department to identify the records the applicant is seeking access to).

Applications and requests under the GIPA Act can be completed online, or sent to:

Open Government, Information and Privacy Unit
DCJ
Locked Bag 5000
Parramatta NSW 2124

email: infoandprivacy@dcj.nsw.gov.au

For more information please see Custodial Operations Policy and Procedures (COPP) 22.3 Government Information and Public Access Act (2009)

Can I send some clothes to a friend or relative who is in prison?

There are some restrictions on the type and amount of property inmates are allowed to have. Allowable inmate property varies depending on, for example, whether the inmate is male or female, convicted or on remand. You should therefore contact the correctional centre to find out what items may be sent to a particular inmate. The contact details for correctional centres are available from the individual correctional centre's pages on this website.