Female inmates who are victims of violent crime will have access to a specialist counselling service.
The Approved Counselling Service will provide female inmates with 22 hours of specialist counselling to address issues relating to being a victim of a violent crime.
After a successful pilot at Dillwynia and Wellington correctional centres, the service will be available at NSW correctional centres with female inmates by mid-2018.
NSW correctional centres running the service:
- Dillwynia
- Emu Plains
- Silverwater Women’s
- Wellington
- Cessnock
- Bolwarra Transitional Centre
- Mary Wade
- Mid North Coast
- Broken Hill.
Minister for Corrections David Elliott said there was evidence that addressing issues related to victimisation and unaddressed trauma can help to reduce reoffending.
“These inmates are offenders and have been jailed as punishment for their crimes, and it is our role to try and rehabilitate them, to protect the community from further crimes,” Mr Elliott said.
The service will be available to male inmates in late 2018.
Find out more about The Approved Counselling Service