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Commissioner of Corrective Services (New South Wales)

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Acting Commissioner of Corrective Services
Incumbent
Leon Taylor
since 27 November 2023
Corrective Services NSW
StyleActing Commissioner
Reports toMinister for Corrections
SeatHaymarket, New South Wales
NominatorMinister for Corrections
AppointerGovernor of New South Wales
Constituting instrumentCrimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 (NSW)
PrecursorComptroller-General
Sheriff
Provost Marshal
Formation26 January 1788
First holderHenry Brewer

The Commissioner of Corrective Services is a statutory office-holder in the State of New South Wales, Australia, with responsibility for the State's prison, parole and community corrections systems. The Acting Commissioner is Leon Taylor. Between 2009 and 2024, Corrections was a division of the State's justice department, currently known as the Department of Communities and Justice. Prior to 2009 and since 2024, the Commissioner managed their own Department of Corrective Services, known from 1 October 2024 as Corrective Services NSW.

Previous office-holders

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Between 1979 and 1988, the Department of Corrective Services was managed by a five-person Corrective Services Commission. This model had been recommended by John Nagle in his royal commission report. From 2009, the Commissioner served as a deputy secretary within the larger Department of Justice. From 1 October 2024, the role of Commissioner became treated identically to Commissioners of other frontline agencies, and is appointed directly by the Minister. Although commissioners have generally been recruited from other professions, both the incumbent and his predecessor began their careers as prison officers.

List of Corrective Services Commissioners

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Name Title Agency Term start Term end Term duration
Henry Brewer Provost Marshal 26 January 1788 February 1796 8 years, 6 days
Thomas Smyth Provost Marshal February 1796 20 December 1804 8 years, 323 days
Garnham Blaxcell Acting Provost Marshal 20 December 1804 1 August 1805 224 days
William Gore Provost Marshal 1 August 1805 8 March 1819 13 years, 219 days
John Thomas Campbell Provost Marshal 8 March 1819 January 1824 4 years, 299 days
John Mackaness Sheriff Office of the Sheriff January 1824 November 1827
William Carter Sheriff Office of the Sheriff 1828 1828
Thomas Macquoid Sheriff Office of the Sheriff 1829 1841
Adolphus William Young Sheriff Office of the Sheriff 1843 1849
Gilbert Eliot Sheriff Office of the Sheriff 1849 1854
John O'Neill Brenan Sheriff Office of the Sheriff 1855 1860
George Richard Uhr Sheriff Office of the Sheriff 1861 1864
Harold Maclean Sheriff Office of the Sheriff 1864 1874
Harold Maclean Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 1874 1889 15 years, 0 days
George Miller Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 8 January 1890 1896 5 years, 358 days
William Neitenstein[1][2][3] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 22 June 1896 17 September 1909 13 years, 87 days
WM McFarlane[4] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 1 March 1910 29 April 1914 4 years, 59 days
Samuel McCauley[5][6] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 29 April 1914 19 December 1919 5 years, 234 days
Denis Gaynor D'Arcy Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 31 December 1919 2 February 1922 2 years, 33 days
William Urquhart[7] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 8 February 1922 17 May 1925 3 years, 98 days
HH McDougall[8] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 17 May 1925 24 June 1925 38 days
George Steele[9] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 24 June 1925 31 December 1927 2 years, 190 days
William Francis Hinchy[10] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 3 January 1928 31 January 1940 12 years, 28 days
George F. Murphy Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 31 January 1940 31 July 1947 7 years, 181 days
Leslie Cecil Joshua Nott[11] Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 31 July 1947 30 June 1956 8 years, 335 days
Harold Richard Vagg Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 20 July 1956 9 August 1960 4 years, 20 days
John Arthur Morony Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 9 August 1960 14 July 1968 7 years, 340 days
Walter McGeechan Comptroller-General Department of Prisons 15 July 1968 1970
Walter McGeechan Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 1970 18 January 1978
Leslie Kenneth Downs Acting Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 18 January 1978 19 June 1978 152 days
Leslie Kenneth Downs Associate Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 19 June 1978 15 November 1978 149 days
Noel Stanley Day Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 19 June 1978 19 March 1979 273 days
Dr Phillippe Anthony Vinson Chairman and Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 19 March 1979 6 October 1981 2 years, 201 days
Noel Stanley Day Deputy Chairman and Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 19 March 1979 19 March 1986 9 years, 143 days
Arnold Victor Bailey Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 19 March 1979 19 March 1986 9 years, 143 days
Dr John Victor Temple Ellard Commissioner (part-time) Department of Corrective Services 19 March 1979 19 March 1986 9 years, 143 days
Francis Daniel Hayes Commissioner (part-time) Department of Corrective Services 19 March 1979 19 March 1986 9 years, 143 days
Vern Dalton Chairman and Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 1981 22 August 1988
Stanley Miller Commissioner (part-time) Department of Corrective Services 19 March 1986 22 August 1988
Dr Glenice Kay Hancock Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 1 December 1986 22 August 1988
Dr Susan Carol Hayes Commissioner (part-time) Department of Corrective Services 1 December 1986 22 August 1988
David John Robert Grant Deputy Chairman and Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 27 January 1987 22 August 1988
Noel Stanley Day Acting Director-General Department of Corrective Services 22 August 1988 8 March 1989
Angus Graham Director-General Department of Corrective Services 8 March 1989 10 October 1991 2 years, 216 days
Angus Graham Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 10 October 1991
Neville Smethurst Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 26 August 1996
Dr Leo Keliher Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 26 August 1996 2002
Ron Woodham Commissioner Department of Corrective Services 2002 2009 10 years
Ron Woodham Commissioner Department of Justice and Attorney General 2009 2012 10 years
Peter Severin Commissioner Department of Attorney General and Justice 2012 2021 9 years
Kevin Corcoran PSM Commissioner Department of Communities and Justice 2021 2024 3 years
Leon Taylor Acting Commissioner Department of Communities and Justice

Corrective Services NSW (from 1 October 2024)

27 November 2023

References

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  1. ^ Garton, Stephen (1986). "Neitenstein, Frederick William (1850–1921)". Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  2. ^ "Changes in the civil service: the new comptroller of prisons". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 22 June 1896.
  3. ^ "Captain Neitenstein". The Inverell Times. 17 September 1909.
  4. ^ "New comptroller-general of prisons". Sunday Times (Sydney). 6 March 1910.
  5. ^ "New comptroller of prisons: Mr McCauley appointed". Tamworth Daily Observer. 29 April 1914.
  6. ^ "Comptroller of prisons dead". The Riverine Grazier. 19 December 1919.
  7. ^ "Comptroller-General of prisons". The Maitland Daily Mercury. 8 February 1922.
  8. ^ "Mr MacDougall's further rise". Cootamundra Herald. 14 May 1925.
  9. ^ "Prisons chief: Mr George Steele comptroller". Northern Star (Lismore). 24 June 1925.
  10. ^ "New prison chief: Mr WF Hinchy succeeds Mr Steele". Evening News (Sydney). 3 January 1928.
  11. ^ "Prisons head to retire". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 July 1947.
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