ACT Inspector of Correctional Services Appointed

On 14 March 2018, Mr Neil McAllister was appointed as the first ACT Inspector of Correctional Services.

The establishment of the independent role of Inspector of Correctional Service was an ACT government commitment, in response to the recommendations of the independent review by Philip Moss into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man, Steven Freeman.

The Inspector of Correctional Services will provide a comprehensive agenda for overall improvement of correctional services and lead sustainable change towards best practice in the ACT. This approach of the Inspector aims to achieve continuous improvement through the systematic and regular review of correctional centres and services, and the review of critical incidents to identify systemic issues that need to be addressed.

The Inspector will work with, but be distinct from, the existing oversight mechanisms undertaken by the Human Rights Commission, ACT Ombudsman, Public Advocate and the Official Visitors that generally take a complaints based or individual advocacy role.