The WA Department of Justice has named Rick Curtis, an emergency services executive, as the new Deputy Commissioner for Young People. 

The appointment follows the decision to split the Women and Young People directorate within Corrective Services, with the aim of enabling a more focused approach to youth justice.

Rick Curtis brings experience from a 27-year career at the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), where he recently served as Assistant Commissioner for Learning and Development. 

The WA Government says he has shown leadership in managing major bushfires, cyclones, and floods, along with his strategic planning skills, have distinguished him in emergency management.

From 2021 to 2024, Curtis also served as the Executive Officer of the State Emergency Management Committee, Western Australia's peak emergency management body. 

“Mr Curtis has been a distinguished leader at DFES, where he effected structural and cultural changes focused on improving outcomes in emergency management,” says Department Director General Kylie Maj.

“He is well prepared to lead the State’s youth custodial and rehabilitation services through a critical period of transformation to deliver therapeutic, trauma-informed care to young people.”

Curtis's background includes earlier service in the Western Australian Police Force, where he engaged with young people through policing activities and mentoring programs. 

He was also instrumental in establishing a partnership between DFES and Justice, engaging minimum-security prisoners in emergency service activities.

Curtis will begin his new role on 8 July. 

His predecessor, Christine Ginbey, held the joint role of Deputy Commissioner for Women and Young People since mid-2022 and was involved in setting up Unit 18, a maximum-security facility to relieve pressure on Banksia Hill.

Social Reinvestment WA, a coalition advocating for justice system changes, has expressed hope that Curtis's leadership would lead to a “change in approach”, emphasising the need for community-based care for young people.