David Tod

Background

About David Tod

I am a young(ish) professional looking to develop my career. My intended career goal is to culminate my growing experiences and knowledge towards projects or regulatory / social entrepreneurship within criminal justice and corrections. I want to be involved with teams who are taking part in constructing the narrative for transformative change within these fields. What has helped me evolve into where I want my career to head are stages of learning and experience. I graduated with a law degree at Otago University. This gave me not only skills of critical thinking and analysis, but also veiwing the law as a social mechanism to maintain cohesion within social expectations at particular times and space. It wasn't the bringer of change, but the aid for it. I then spent time in southern Japan planning and teaching conversational English lessons. I learned there how different cultures approach common social outcomes within their views of what is acceptable publicly. A change of career path then lead me to become a Corrections Officer with the Department of Corrections / Ara Poutama Aotearoa for just over 8 years. I felt this experience aligned better with my characteristics. I performed a number of compliance and leadership roles in my time there. But the resounding experience was that the 'criminal other' were only individuals dealing with their reality as best they can. That not always does a tick box compliance approach provides true positive outcomes. While with Corrections I returned to Otago University and graduated with a Diploma for Graduates endorsed in Sociology / Criminology. Doing this was truly a great decision. It gave me different thought and theory to align with what I have experienced. I amm part way through graduating with a Masters of Arts Degree, Sociology. My role as a Police Prosecutor with the NZ Police and now as A Probation Officer with Ara Poutama remind me of the law as a mechanism to maintain social cohesion, but also it's attempts of being a predictable and applicable form of practiced justice. It has also shown me however the large efforts of others within the industry to effect overall positive outcomes, and how reliant the institution of justice is on those resilient efforts of others. We, NZ, have the ability and 'can do' to create an alternative response to justice. What we need is the mechanisms to provide that resource compassionately and uniquely.