For Jodie Patterson, working with inmates is the best job in the world.
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The Dubbo resident is a senior program development officer with Corrective Services NSW. For the past seven years she's been developing programs to reduce recidivism, covering from Broken Hill to Lithgow.
And now her son Ben is following in her footsteps.
Mr Patterson is a service and programs officer at the Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre. It's the same role that started his mum's career in the industry.
Ms Patterson is extremely proud of her son.
"He's got a heart like mine. I think he'll make a great SAPO and I think he'll go further. He's very driven," she said.
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Both mother and son say they enjoy being able to help people.
"I love the domestic abuse program, that's probably my favourite. And that's a really odd thing to say, I know," Ms Patterson said.
"It's changing the way people think about themselves and that's the satisfaction I get. I get to see people change just a little bit but it can have massive outcomes."
Ms Patterson said it was uplifting when she came across people she had previously worked with in the community and heard they had stayed out of jail or started a family.
Mr Patterson said he was attracted to the job because it allowed him to "try and fix some of the problems of the world".
"The idea that I was contributing to the safety of the community, that was my biggest appeal. By helping the one person you're contributing to everyone's safety," he said.
Mr Patterson is no stranger to helping others. He has worked with Mission Australia on rehabilitation programs and coaching cricket. But last year he started at Bathurst Correctional Centre.
While his mum admits cricket is his main focus, Ms Patterson said she saw how much her son loved working with Corrections NSW from the first moment he tried it.
"He said 'I know why you're like you are now mum'. He did a couple of external programs in Mudgee and then came back and said 'I want to do this for real'," she said.
It's a career that Ms Patterson says she recommends to everyone.
"I love it, it's the best job in the world. I can see that it helps people," she said.
"Offenders, they go to jail for the things they've done but at the end of the day they're still people. They're someone's son, mother, brother. They're people and if we can help them, I think that's what my goal in life is."
Ms Patterson said she was part of an "incredible", close-knit team.
However, the senior program development officer admits it's not for everyone.
"You might be a hairdresser or something out in the community but when you go to jail, you're actually there. You're inside for the day," she said.
"It was a huge wake up for me. I went to Wellington jail and thought 'oh my God, I can't even go out to the shops'. It's a learning curve but once you get over that week where you haven't had coffee all day because you forgot to take it, you soon learn."