- Two outstanding corrective services leaders recognised for decades of service
- Australian Corrections Medal recipients' have transformed prisoner rehabilitation
- One recipient overcame serious hardship to continue serving the community
Two Western Australian Corrective Services officers have been honoured in the prestigious Australia Day 2026 Honours List.
The officers have received the Australian Corrections Medal (ACM) for their distinguished service and commitment to improving the State's correctional system.
Award recipients, Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison officer Dean Anthony English and Casuarina Prison deputy superintendent Wayne Lionel Marlow, have each demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation and dedication throughout their long careers.
Both have contributed to safer prisons, stronger rehabilitation programs and improved outcomes for staff and prisoners.
Dean Anthony English
With more than 30 years of service across New South Wales and Western Australia, Mr English has made a lasting impact on prisoner rehabilitation and staff wellbeing.
He is widely respected for his ability to diffuse challenging situations and help individuals in custody address their behaviour.
Mr English has served across multiple facilities including Hakea Prison, Banksia Hill Detention Centre and Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison for Women.
In 2023, he established a beekeeping industry program at Wandoo offering participants practical skills, routine and purpose as well as a supply of honey for the prison.
Following a serious traffic accident in 2024, Mr English returned to share messages of resilience with women in custody and continues to support staff, recruitment initiatives and his beekeeping program.
Wayne Lionel Marlow
Mr Marlow has served with Corrective Services WA since 2004 and is recognised for his strong operational expertise and commitment to prisoner welfare.
As the inaugural assistant superintendent for safer practice at Casuarina Prison, he pioneered a therapeutic approach that significantly reduced self-harm and suicide ideation, transforming the management of at-risk prisoners.
He has also delivered complex operational planning across the State's prisons, including co-ordination of large-scale prisoner movements during the 512-bed expansion at Casuarina Prison, ensuring safe and efficient mobilisation during a period of major change.
Mr Marlow's contributions have strengthened the Department's capability, enhanced staff and prisoner safety, and delivered sustainable improvements to the corrections system.
As stated by Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia:
"This year's recipients embody the professionalism at the core of the State's correctional system.
"Mr English has returned from a massive personal challenge to continue his corrections career, transforming the way we care for and manage prisoners.
"Mr Marlow has spent more than two decades displaying both exceptional leadership and deep compassion for the people in his care.
"I congratulate both recipients for their ongoing commitment to improving outcomes for staff, prisoners and the broader community."
