The 2024 graduate of the Maritime Business College Corrections and Law Enforcement program saw the seeds for this planted in high school when he did a Bus Buddies program working with fellow students who had autistic traits.
His role was to help them have what he felt like was more of a normal high school experience.
“I saw how differently they were getting treated and I thought it was very grotesque that they have to be separated and I didn’t like that wall,” says Dunphy. “Growing up I saw a lot of people being outcast and there wasn’t a lot of inclusivity.”
“I kind of like to push those barriers because I felt like everyone should just get along. I had the mentality of looking at the best in everybody.”
He enrolled in the Corrections and Law Enforcement program in March of 2023 and decided on it as career after working at a summer camp called Adventure Camp Challenge.
It served as an opportunity for those less fortunate and unable to attend camp due to circumstances like lack of funding, coming from privatized areas and harsh environments.
“Hearing about that made me want to get to more of the root cause of the problem,” says Dunphy.
His time spent at Maritime Business College helped him do that. A number of the courses within the program opened his eyes to certain situations people could find themselves in, crisis scenarios and how to manage them.
Growing up in poverty also fueled his desire for a career where he could help people.
“In my opinion everyone is one mistake away from going to jail,” he adds. “It’s not that hard, it can be one fist fight or one drunken mistake.”
As a member of the Indigenous community, he wants to contribute to affecting a change. One thing he eventually hopes to do is volunteer his time at a community centre on the Bear River Reservation to act as a positive role model for youth.
“Just because we are a larger statistic than other races doesn’t mean they have to go down that path,” says Dunphy. “I don’t want it to be normalized. I want to make a new path for youth.”
The 25 year old has been working at the Southwest Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Yarmouth since finishing the program earlier this year. He enjoys his work, but adds anyone who wants to get into corrections needs to be team oriented.
“People who have lone wolf syndrome and think they can do everything themselves is going to hinder you in this career because everything is about communication,” says Dunphy. “If you’re looking for a job that can throw curveballs at you and you want to take on that challenge I recommend corrections.”
When some people arrive in the correctional facility, they are dealing with coming off drugs, alcohol or over-the-counter medication and are suffering from withdrawal. His approach is to act as the person that can be helpful, but stern, if they are willing to receive assistance.
“Having lost a couple of close family friends and family members to drug and alcohol-related issues it kind of sparked a hope in me that I could reach out to those people personally and try to pull them back in if possible,” says Dunphy.
One of his goals is becoming a part-time Mi’Kmaq liaison in the facility doing programs with the Indigenous population, like smudging, burning sage and more.
Over the next five to 10 years, he would like to pursue a career in the RCMP and views corrections as a stepping stone where he can learn about the human side of people he would deal with in that role.
“I feel like it’s important to understand and humanize situations,” says Dunphy. “A lot of the time someone getting arrested it instantly goes to they’re a bad person. It definitely might not be that scenario because they are going through withdrawals or a mental breakdown.”
