As the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year, so too are a number of employees who work with us.

Joyceville Institution’s mental health nurse Brendan Devlin is one. He was born in 1979 and turned 30 in June.

You can often find Devlin in the nursing station at Joyceville. His job includes reviewing inmate medication to ensure it is working effectively, checking offender medication cards to make sure medications are used appropriately, conducting interviews with offenders, and advising the institutional doctor, the psychology team and correctional officers of any concerns with offenders’ mental health.

“It’s so different every day,” he says.

But one of his favourite aspects of the job is teaching offenders about their mental health conditions.

“I like health teaching a lot. I like educating people about their mental illnesses and the treatments that are available,” Devlin reveals.

He started working at Joyceville in April 2008. The new position was created in response to the 2007 Institutional Mental Health Initiative (IMHI), designed to support health services staff and ensure that mental health needs are identified at intake. The IMHI also ensures that inmates are provided appropriate services, follow-up and placement throughout their incarceration.

“[This position] gives the staff more support with respect to mental health issues and hopefully improves the mental health of the offenders more quickly,” Devlin says.

He admits there was a steep learning curve when he first started at CSC, as there was no precedent to follow, but Devlin says he finds it a meaningful career choice with a very close and supportive staff.

“You start learning more and more what works best in this environment,” he explains.

Devlin says he was impressed by the positive work environment and teamwork at Joyceville Institution.

“I have worked in many different jobs, but I find staff are more unified within CSC due to the combination of our environment and personality/work ethics,” he says. “I would recommend working at CSC from my experience and say it’s a good career to have.”

For his 30^th birthday, he says his friends took him paintballing, then threw a surprise party in his honour. About reaching this milestone, he says it doesn’t scare him all that much.

“It’s not so bad. It’s just a number, right?”