The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Felix Collins, Minister of Justice:

Senior Appointment Announced for Corrections

It is with great pleasure that I announce today that Ms. Kelly Rowsell has been appointed Assistant Superintendent of the Newfoundland and Labrador Correctional Centre for Women. This is a senior appointment reporting to the Superintendent of Prisons and now makes Ms. Rowsell the highest ranking female correctional officer in the system at this time.

This is a great achievement and shows the dedication and professionalism that Ms. Rowsell brings to her duties every day. Ms. Rowsell has held successively more responsible positions since she first became a correctional officer in 1992. She has worked at the St. John’s Lock Up, Her Majesty’s Penitentiary, the Labrador Correctional Centre and at the Newfoundland and Labrador Correctional Centre for Women both when it was located in Stephenville and now in Clarenville. Now as Assistant Superintendent, she is responsible for the planning, organizing and directing of day-to-day operations of the centre under the direction of the Superintendent.

The Department of Justice now has 73 women working as correctional officers throughout the province in the Adult Custody Division of Corrections. Just recently, I attended the graduation for the Correctional Officer Recruit Training Program and of the 11 proud recruits I presented certificates to, six of those recruits were women. Since October 2008, the department has hired 93 correctional officers, 25 of them women. It is becoming clear to me that more and more women are now seeing corrections as a valuable and rewarding career path.

Women such as Assistant Superintendent Rowsell are an inspiration for other women entering the field. In these senior positions, they are able to provide advice and insight to these recruits and demonstrate that women hold an important role in the corrections system.

Since the 2009 release of Decades of Darkness: Moving Towards the Light, the Provincial Government has made significant strides towards revitalizing corrections. This could not have been done without the commitment, dedication and cooperation of our correctional officers. Officers such as Assistant Superintendent Rowsell have made a positive impact on work to improve the delivery of corrections in this province.

I congratulate Ms. Rowsell on her appointment and I wish her all the best in her new role.

2011 05 09                                                                 2:10 p.m.