Corrective Services veterans recognised in Australia Day Honours list

Media release
Four Department of Justice, Corrective Services staff with a combined service of 160 years have been recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours List as recipients of the prestigious Australian Corrections Medal.
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Australian Corrections Medal 2022 winners

Above (Left to Right): Superintendent Jim Schilo, Tim Sanders, Christine Laird and Jim Hosie

The award winners, Casuarina Prison Superintendent Jim Schilo, Prison Education and Training Director Christine Laird, Adult Community Corrections Director Jim Hosie and Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women Vocational Skills Officer Tim Sanders, have all dedicated their working lives to protecting the West Australian community through the management and rehabilitation of prisoners.

Corrective Services Commissioner Michael Reynolds said this year’s recipients came from diverse business areas across the Department, each starting at the coalface close to four decades ago.

“Mrs Laird joined as a prison teacher in 1987, and the three men signed on as prison officers between 1979 and 1982.” Commissioner Reynolds said.

“Since then, each of these very worthy recipients have made significant contributions to the evolution of corrective services in WA through innovation, a genuine interest in prisoner welfare and an unwavering commitment to serve the community.”

The 2022 WA Australian Corrections Medal recipients:

Mrs Christine LAIRD, Director of Prison Education Training and Employment.

Mrs Laird has been responsible for a range of innovative and forward-thinking programs to enhance the education and training opportunities for prisoners and bring their skills in line with community and industry needs to improve their employment prospects. This included negotiating to have 250,000 student curriculum hours allocated annually to deliver vocational training in WA prisons by TAFE. The prison traineeship program was a first for Australia and is still held up as the most diverse and robust in national corrections. Other best practice programs introduced by Mrs Laird include the Carey Bindjareb Project.

Mr James (Jim) SCHILO

After commencing with the Department in 1979, Mr Schilo was promoted to Superintendent in 1990 and since then has been in charge of many WA prisons. Currently he’s running our biggest maximum-security facility at Casuarina. Mr Schilo has fostered a number of initiatives that have had a considerable impact on the management and well-being of prisoners. At Casuarina he has been responsible for the introduction and management of custody-based programs and services that support behavioural change and address the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. While at Fremantle Prison, Mr Schilo introduced the first Aboriginal Visitor Scheme. And as Superintendent at Bandyup Women's Prison, Mr Schilo initiated the recruitment of more women to the senior management team.

Mr James (Jim) HOSIE

Mr Hosie started as a Prison Officer at Fremantle Prison in 1980. He has worked in prisons and community corrections across WA in both regional and metropolitan centres, with dedicated service to Adult Community Corrections. He was the Secretary of the Parole Board for many years and implemented the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board and the Supervised Release Review Board, as well as the Victim Notification Register. Mr Hosie led the management of the Community Offender Monitoring Unit, responsible for Electronic Monitoring, and managed the introduction of GPS tracking of Dangerous Sex Offenders (DSOs). He has played a major role in protecting the public of Western Australia through his work with Police and other statutory agencies on the management of dangerous offenders.

Mr Timothy SANDERS

Mr Sanders joined Corrective Services in 1982 as a prison officer at Canning Vale Prison (now Hakea). From there he moved to Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women where he still works. As a Skills Development Instructor, Mr Sanders has been integral to creating the prison industries model at Boronia, delivering positive pathways to employment for women outside of traditional industries, including the creation and ongoing delivery of the Women's Picture Framing Workshop. Mr Sanders is a quiet achiever who maintains high standards in the management and support for women in his care. He goes above and beyond for residents and is a valuable and integral member of the Boronia team, respected by prisoners, peers and management alike.

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