- Three Queensland Corrective Services officers receive prestigious Australian Corrections Medal (ACM)
- Officers recognised for creating stronger, safer communities
- The ACM recognises distinguished service by an operational member of an Australian state or territory civilian corrections service for adults.
Three Queensland Corrective Services officers have been recognised in the King's Birthday 2023 Honours list receiving the Australian Corrections Medal.
Chief Superintendent Kris Winter, Mr Cornelius Smith, Correctional Manager and Ms Vanessa Aland, Regional Supervisor were named in the honours list for distinguished service by an operational member of an Australian state or territory corrections service for adults.
Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Mark Ryan MP congratulated the officers for their commitment in keeping Queensland communities safe.
"I want to commend these three incredible, worthy recipients of the coveted Australian Corrections Medals," Minister Ryan said.
"The work that they do every day to keep communities safe is extraordinary, and their contribution has led to positive changes and outcomes for people in QCS' care.
"Today we shine a spotlight on their outstanding efforts towards keeping public safety at the forefront and for going above and beyond the call of duty. I congratulate them on their remarkable achievement."
QCS Commissioner Paul Stewart APM congratulated the officers for their service and dedication to the top tier public safety agency.
"I am incredibly proud of the impact our staff make in our community and the commitment to the people of Queensland.
"Corrections is challenging work but our officers, through their unwavering leadership, work tirelessly every day to improve the lives of those in their care to ensure communities are safe.
"On behalf of all QCS officers, congratulations to Kris, Cornelius and Vanessa for their outstanding commitment in creating stronger and safer communities."
This year the three recipients from QCS are:
Chief Superintendent Kris Winter, General Manger, Maryborough Correctional Centre commenced her career with Queensland Corrective Services as an Activities Officer at Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre in 1997 and has more than 20 years of distinguished service. When she was Deputy General Manager at Townsville Women's Correctional Centre, she introduced numerous programs to improve outcomes for women in custody, including the Australian Red Cross Community Based Health and First Aid Program Sisters for Change', a midwifery program in partnership with Central Queensland University and Queensland Health, and Safe Women's Workshop', a sexual assault prevention program. She drove further cultural change within TWCC to introduce trauma informed de-escalation strategies for staff and prisoner engagement, resulting in reduced use of force incidents on women in custody. Currently, in her role as General Manager at MCC, Chief Superintendent Winter interacts with offenders on a regular basis to facilitate positive engagement to improve outcomes for prisoners.
Mr Cornelius Smith, Correctional Manager, Brisbane Correctional Centre joined Queensland Corrective Services in 1997 first at Woodford Correctional Centre as a Custodial Security Officer. Shortly after, he was involved in the response during the 1997 riots. He has worked in multiple frontline roles at Wolston Correctional Centre as Custodial Correctional Officer and Supervisor and was appointed Manager at the Brisbane Correctional Centre. He is recognised for his leadership and expertise in correctional emergency response teams (CERT) from the frontline and was involved in key operations. He led response teams in the riots and unrest at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre in 2020, where he was recognised with the QCS Commissioner's Unit Citation Award. He also led a response team to the Capricornia Correctional Centre in 2021. He is key to the delivery of emergency incident management at Brisbane Correctional Centre and its integration with centre preparedness. He is currently the Acting Superintendent at Borallon Training and Correctional Centre, engaging daily with prisoners in the high security environment.
Ms Vanessa Aland, Regional Supervisor, North Coast Community Corrections joined QCS in 2008 as a Community Corrections Supervisor. She has consistently demonstrated the highest level of efficient and ethical service, providing 13 years of distinguished service and dedication to protecting the community of Queensland through her work in community corrections leadership roles, as well as other key secondments. Between 2015-2019 and other various periods, as District Manager of the Maroochydore Community Corrections, she had responsibility for the oversight, management, and direct control of about 1000 offenders subject to supervision in the community, including contact with offenders on parole, probation, and reparation orders. She has contributed to meaningful community safety outcomes by fostering local partnerships with public safety agencies increasing community safety through the effective supervision and management of offenders.
