IT'S not without its challenges, but working in the Court Escort and Security Unit (CESU) can be a very rewarding career.
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National Corrections Day was held on Thursday and to mark the occasion, Corrective Services NSW shined the spotlight on the work of its CESU staff.
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There are 565 staff working in the unit across NSW, with 14 of those based in Bathurst.
Among them is officer Blake Coleman, who joined Corrective Services NSW in 2016 after a career in retail.
While it seems like an odd transition, he said that some of the skills he relied upon in retail were transferable to his role in the CESU.
These include conflict resolution and the skills he picked up during his time in a management position.
Part of Mr Coleman's job is to transport inmates from the Bathurst jail, taking them to places like court, medical appointments or to other prisons in Sydney and the Central West.
- WATCH: The journey from jail to Bathurst Court House for CESU officers and inmates.
He said they also collect offenders directly from police, which can present a challenge as you never know how they might react.
"We actually receive the offenders from the police, they can be very volatile ... very aggressive," Mr Coleman said, adding that officers have to be aware of the risk of an offender self harming.
When it comes to transporting inmates from jail, CESU officers take a lot of care to ensure their health and wellbeing, asking a lot of questions before taking them from reception to the vehicle.
In situations where inmates need to make appearances at Bathurst Local Court, officers like Mr Coleman will drive the vehicle to the Court House and take the inmates to the cells there.
Given the challenging nature of the job, the CESU officers have formed close relationships and rely on each other quite a lot.
"We see stuff inside these four walls that the community doesn't see, so it's very important to have a relationship with the guys," Mr Coleman said.
Bathurst Correctional Centre governor Mark Kennedy said that team work is an important aspect to the job of corrections officers.
"We've got to move a large number of inmates across the state and it's quite a logistical effort, too," he said.
In addition to that, he said that when there are incidents staff must work closely together and are like a family.
"As soon as something out of the ordinary happens, we do come together quite quickly and look after each other, and that's really important," Mr Kennedy said.
"We are a family and we are working together to make sure the community is safe, and that inmates in our care are rehabilitated to create better members for the community."