Jan Shuard
Aiming to rehabilitate offenders, Commissioner of Corrections Victoria Jan Shuard, is setting the standard for prisons and community corrections.
Passion and dedication drive the diverse team at Corrections Victoria. As a business unit of the Department of Justice, Corrections Victoria sets strategy, policy, and standards for the management of the state's system of correctional facilities, develops programs for the containment and rehabilitation of prisoners, and facilitates the community-based supervision of offenders.
Jan Shuard, Commissioner of Corrections Victoria, spoke to The CEO Magazine about her passion for the corrections sector and the people it employs and cares for. In an industry that many would consider tough and thankless, Jan is motivated by the importance of the work she and her team are doing.
"I genuinely have a love for the sort of work that we do, and I think that's because there's always more that can be done and it's work that matters. In a perfect society, I guess we could change the lives of everybody that came into our care. In reality, at the very least we aim to have a positive influence on everyone who comes through our doors, whether that's through community corrections or prisons."
"The second thing that keeps me motivated is the people that work in this industry. From an outsider's perspective, I'm sure it seems pretty thankless, but our staff have a real passion for the work. You're working with a group of peoplefrom my executive group to our general managers who run our prisons and community corrections centres, and their staff who have a passion for this work."