New Custodial Case Management Units will be set up in prisons and employ case managers to work directly with offenders to identify the causes of their criminal behaviour and develop a whole-of-sentence plan to tackle their problems, with the aim of reducing rates of re-offending.

Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin said the Custodial Case Management Units would provide more than 150 new correctional jobs across the state, including in regional centres.

“Almost 20,000 inmates are expected to have benefited from the new case management system by mid-2020,” Mr Severin said.

“The initiative is essential in ensuring less crime and fewer victims in communities by challenging offenders’ thinking, attitudes and decision making and giving them new skills to get a job and leave the cycle of crime.

“We’re giving greater attention to medium and high-risk offenders because we know they are the ones most likely to reoffend.

“We are committed to driving down the rate of reoffending and to do that we’ve got to get to the heart of why they offend and have a very clear plan to address it, from the start of their prison sentence through to their reintegration in the community.’’

The case managers will closely monitor an offender’s progress and support them to stick to their rehabilitation plan. They will also be placing more emphasis on preparation for release and this will now commence at the beginning of the sentence.

Their work will include assessing the risk and needs of offenders and referring them to specific programs, such as those for violent offenders and offenders with addictions, as well as education and prison work.

The Custodial Case Management Units will be rolled out over the next two years as part of the NSW Government’s Strategy to Reduce Reoffending.