Community Corrections manager Crystal Duncan focuses on helping her hometown and local people when it comes to guiding offenders as they reintegrate into the community.
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"It comes down to having the community's interest at my heart. I love the possibilities of my job - changing behaviour and keeping our community safe for the next generation," says Crystal.
The 41-year-old has worked in welfare for more than 20 years and achieved her goal of becoming manager at the Moree Community Corrections office.
"Being born and bred in Moree, I knew issues existed locally and how they impacted our community like homelessness, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence or trauma," she said.
"It hit home that I could have a genuine impact on people's lives as change agents; to help them make better decisions for themselves and their family."
Crystal is among 10,000 CSNSW staff celebrated on National Corrections Day this Friday (January 21), for her commitment to community safety and reducing re-offending.
"You don't do what you do for yourself, it's about everyone else. It's about giving selflessly, knowing you don't want anything in return.
"Any one of our staff would give you the shirt off their back; they will do whatever needs to be done in service to their community."
A Gamilaroi woman, Crystal's Aboriginal heritage fuels her desire to build cultural sensitivity into the workforce through mentoring, giving presentations and holding advisory roles.
"As an Aboriginal woman in the role I'm in now, I can make sure staff are equipped with skills and knowledge to do their job effectively and with cultural competency," she says.
"The biggest part of being a mentor is giving our time, patience and honesty - those three things are priceless."
For Crystal, the hard work pays off when she sees offenders taking positive steps in their lives.
"One memory stays in my heart, when an offender I supervised stopped me at the local shops to say, 'congratulations, I'm so glad you've got the big job over there'.
"It was very moving and proves you genuinely give people their chance to change by doing your best, having a strong work ethic and striving to make the best decisions in our policies and procedures framework."
The 2022 National Corrections Day theme is 'giving back', which focuses on how staff go beyond the call of duty to protect the community, mentor staff, fundraise for important charities and contribute to vital community projects and partnerships.
CSNSW includes about 5000 custodial officers, 1800 Community Corrections staff, 800 industries workers, 900 psychologists and programs officers and 1100 Security and Intelligence staff.
