Latest news with #HeatherCalgaret
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Inquest into Aboriginal woman Heather Calgaret's death in custody urges overhaul of Victoria's prison healthcare
A Victorian coroner has recommended wide-ranging improvements to healthcare provided in prisons after an inquest into the death of a 30-year-old Yamatji, Pitjantjatjara, Noongar and Wongi woman. Heather Calgaret died in November 2021 after being found unresponsive in her cell at Dame Phyllis Frost prison by her sister Suzzane, who was also incarcerated at the time. Coroner Sarah Gebert found that Calgaret had inappropriately been prescribed an opiate replacement treatment by prison health workers and that it likely triggered a respiratory failure which led to her death. Calgaret was remanded in custody in 2019 while she was six months pregnant with her fourth child, and she had an application for parole denied the month before she died, though the parole system was beyond the scope of the inquest. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Gebert found, however, that while this decision did not directly cause Calgaret's death, it was important to consider issues related to determining parole applications. There were 'numerous issues of concern' identified with the management of Calgaret's application, she found. Calgaret was denied parole because her housing was deemed unsuitable and there was insufficient time for her to find alternate accommodation. This was despite her having placed her mother's address on her parole application in May 2020, and Community Correctional Services not raising any concerns about this or raising any alternatives until September 2021, when it was deemed inappropriate. 'Whether and how a parole application progresses has the potential to impact on a person's continuing incarceration and all that flows from being in the custody of the state,' Gebert found on Monday. 'I further noted that the continuing over-representation of Aboriginal people in custody also heightens the need for and significance of examining the issues that were included [in the inquest].' Speaking outside court on Monday, Suzzane Calgaret welcomed the findings but said it should not have taken her sister's death for changes to be made. 'I hope they just have learned from this because it's taken my sister's life, my mum's daughter's life,' she said. 'There's a reason now for her passing and that reason has been justified by the outcome but it doesn't bring her back.' Gebert also noted that another Aboriginal woman, Veronica Nelson, died at the prison while Calgaret was in custody. On 4 May 2020, Calgaret was sentenced to two years and three months' imprisonment for armed robbery and six months' imprisonment for 'make threat to inflict serious injury' with a non-parole period of 14 months. Gebert found that when Calgaret was admitted to prison, she weighed 95kg (though was six months pregnant) and was relatively healthy. Within the next two years, she gained 70kg, was classified as morbidly obese, had poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, sustained 'liver function derangement' and had likely obstructive sleep apnoea. Gebert found that court experts identified that the removal of Calgaret's daughter was a pivotal moment in her overall decline in health. Calgaret had an application to care for her baby in custody, under the Living with Mum Program, denied. There were no Aboriginal health workers at the prison at the time, the coroner heard, but there were frameworks and policies in place which should have meant she was provided better care. 'I can only conclude therefore, that whilst there were robust health policies and commitments in place, it was apparent that the delivery of health services to Heather did not meet those aspirations in the crucial areas which have been highlighted,' Gebert found. The Covid-19 pandemic affected the delivery of services and required prisoners to be locked down while Calgaret was imprisoned, the coroner found. There were five primary areas of focus during the inquest, including the provision of healthcare, the management of Calgaret's parole application, the prescription of opiate replacement therapy, the emergency care after her collapse and the cause of her death. Gebert made 16 recommendations, including that Justice Health establish measures to ensure adequate screening and monitoring for postnatal mental health symptoms in women who give birth in custody or 'proximate to their remand' and that they support women who are refused access to the Living with Mum program. She also recommended that Justice Health better monitor prisoner weight gain, improve access to psychological services at Dame Phyllis, and work with providers to ensure regular pharmacological reviews, proper documentation of chronic healthcare plans and explore models for Aboriginal community health organisations to provide services to Aboriginal people in custody. The Department of Justice and Community Safety should investigate how its parole application process is consistent with its commitment to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody, Gebert recommended.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Victoria urged to act on coroner's death in custody recommendations
Victorian Aboriginal communities are urging the state government to act on the recommendations of a coroner who investigated the 2021 death in custody of Heather Calgaret. NOTE: This story uses images of Heather Calgaret with the permission of her family. On Monday, Coroner Sarah Gebert found the 30-year-old's death due to respiratory failure was the result of an inappropriately prescribed dose of an opioid medication. The coroner also found that in the lead-up to Heather's death, the Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman's mental and physical health had declined significantly. After identifying gaps in the health care that was available to Heather, the coroner recommended the government do more to integrate Aboriginal health groups in the delivery of prison health care. Aunty Jill Gallagher, who heads up the Victorian Aboriginal Community-Controlled Healthcare Organisation (VACCHO), said the benefits of Aboriginal-led health responses for Indigenous communities were clear. "We know who the people are, we know their families, we know their issues," she said. "We have wraparound services … that we could provide to our people in prisons … and it also helps to get them, when they are released, back into society." Ms Gallagher said before the recent state budget, her organisation had sought $2 million in funding to support a pilot program where Aboriginal health groups could deliver care in prison. "It was knocked back, we didn't get the $2 million to deliver that model," she said. She said the request came against the backdrop of more than $720 million being allocated in the same budget to boost the number of prison beds. Ms Gallagher said the proposal to integrate Aboriginal-led health responses had been a recommendation in a recent report into Victoria's prisons she co-authored. "Where's the implementation of those recommendations in that report?" she asked. In her findings, the coroner also explored issues with the way Heather's parole application had been dealt with. The inquest heard a "Kafkian" situation meant Heather could not get access to a rehabilitation program that was a requirement for her to be eligible for parole. Ms Gebert said the inquest had identified "numerous" other issues with the way Heather's parole application was managed, including poor documentation by parole officers and a "lack of adherence to relevant metrics". She said of particular concern was the lack of appropriate action in response to a letter Heather had written asking to undertake the rehabilitative program in the community. The coroner recommended changes to ensure parole officers were more responsive to requests and maintained better documentation. In a statement, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) acting CEO Amanda Dunstall said the Allan government's current "tough on crime approach" involved an "abhorrent commitment to implementing regressive laws" at odds with the coroner's recommendations. "Victoria's parole process was found to be unfair to Aboriginal women, and is inconsistent with the right to equality in the charter and the right to Aboriginal self-determination," she said. "We know that sentencing and parole considerations for Aboriginal people are of critical importance and VALS is ready to work with the Department of Corrections, alongside the Aboriginal Justice Caucus, to implement these recommendations immediately, alongside the outstanding recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Yoorrook Justice Commission." Corrections Minister Enver Erdogan was contacted for comment.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
'Doesn't bring her back': death in custody preventable
An Aboriginal woman's newborn baby was ripped from her arms soon after giving birth while in prison. But Heather Calgaret was not given any mental health support after this traumatic event. Over the next two years behind bars, the mother-of-four became obese, developed type 2 diabetes and suffered depression before being denied parole. She died in custody in November 2021 after given an inappropriately prescribed injectable opioid substitution. Countless missed opportunities to prevent the 30-year-old's death in custody were outlined by a coroner on Monday, as her family and supporters filled the courtroom. "Not only was her passing preventable, she should never have passed in the manner that she did," Victorian coroner Sarah Gebert said as she delivered a 300-page finding. The proud Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman had been six months' pregnant when she arrived at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison in July 2019. The removal of her baby girl just after giving birth, because she had been denied access to the prison's Living with Mum program, was a "pivotal" moment, the coroner found. "Heather had her other children removed ... and her family had been affected by the Stolen Generation," Ms Gebert said. "Each of these factors would be expected to produce a range of both trauma-related symptoms and feelings of despair." Ms Calgaret was not given access to a psychologist while at Dame Phyllis and her mental health declined. About six months before her death, Ms Calgaret pleaded in a letter to be released on parole. She explained the See Change program she was required to complete was not available at Dame Phyllis and asked to do it outside prison. "I have four children that need me. I believe I have suffered enough," Ms Calgaret wrote in the letter. She begged for someone to "please read and answer my letter", but it was never forwarded onto the parole board. The coroner said Ms Calgaret had been eligible to be considered for parole more than a year earlier, about seven months after her sentence for aggravated burglary was imposed. It wasn't until October 2021 - a month before she died - that she was told her parole application had been denied because of a lack of suitable accommodation. On November 22, a doctor gave her a dosage of opiate replacement therapy that was too high for her tolerance level. Ms Calgaret's sister Suzzane, who was housed with her at the prison, found her struggling to breathe the following morning. She shook Ms Calgaret to let her know it was time for the daily count, but her younger sister was not moving. A "code black" was called and she was taken to hospital where she died four days later. The Correct Care Australasia doctor had "lacked the careful consideration required" to prescribe the injectable drug, the coroner said. She found Ms Calgaret would not have died if she had not been given the drug, or if she had been supervised afterwards. Suzzane Calgaret welcomed the findings but said it should not have taken her sister's death for changes to be made. "I hope they just have learned from this because it's taken my sister's life, my mum's daughter's life," she said outside court. "There's a reason now for her passing and that reason has been justified by the outcome, but it doesn't bring her back." Ms Gebert issued 16 recommendations, including monitoring women who give birth in custody for post-natal mental health treatment. She encouraged Justice Health to work with the government and stakeholders to improve the psychological services available at the prison and their care of inmates with chronic health issues. Ms Gebert said the parole application process should be reviewed to ensure it does not undermine the integrity of prison sentencing. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Aboriginal woman's newborn baby was ripped from her arms soon after giving birth while in prison. But Heather Calgaret was not given any mental health support after this traumatic event. Over the next two years behind bars, the mother-of-four became obese, developed type 2 diabetes and suffered depression before being denied parole. She died in custody in November 2021 after given an inappropriately prescribed injectable opioid substitution. Countless missed opportunities to prevent the 30-year-old's death in custody were outlined by a coroner on Monday, as her family and supporters filled the courtroom. "Not only was her passing preventable, she should never have passed in the manner that she did," Victorian coroner Sarah Gebert said as she delivered a 300-page finding. The proud Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman had been six months' pregnant when she arrived at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison in July 2019. The removal of her baby girl just after giving birth, because she had been denied access to the prison's Living with Mum program, was a "pivotal" moment, the coroner found. "Heather had her other children removed ... and her family had been affected by the Stolen Generation," Ms Gebert said. "Each of these factors would be expected to produce a range of both trauma-related symptoms and feelings of despair." Ms Calgaret was not given access to a psychologist while at Dame Phyllis and her mental health declined. About six months before her death, Ms Calgaret pleaded in a letter to be released on parole. She explained the See Change program she was required to complete was not available at Dame Phyllis and asked to do it outside prison. "I have four children that need me. I believe I have suffered enough," Ms Calgaret wrote in the letter. She begged for someone to "please read and answer my letter", but it was never forwarded onto the parole board. The coroner said Ms Calgaret had been eligible to be considered for parole more than a year earlier, about seven months after her sentence for aggravated burglary was imposed. It wasn't until October 2021 - a month before she died - that she was told her parole application had been denied because of a lack of suitable accommodation. On November 22, a doctor gave her a dosage of opiate replacement therapy that was too high for her tolerance level. Ms Calgaret's sister Suzzane, who was housed with her at the prison, found her struggling to breathe the following morning. She shook Ms Calgaret to let her know it was time for the daily count, but her younger sister was not moving. A "code black" was called and she was taken to hospital where she died four days later. The Correct Care Australasia doctor had "lacked the careful consideration required" to prescribe the injectable drug, the coroner said. She found Ms Calgaret would not have died if she had not been given the drug, or if she had been supervised afterwards. Suzzane Calgaret welcomed the findings but said it should not have taken her sister's death for changes to be made. "I hope they just have learned from this because it's taken my sister's life, my mum's daughter's life," she said outside court. "There's a reason now for her passing and that reason has been justified by the outcome, but it doesn't bring her back." Ms Gebert issued 16 recommendations, including monitoring women who give birth in custody for post-natal mental health treatment. She encouraged Justice Health to work with the government and stakeholders to improve the psychological services available at the prison and their care of inmates with chronic health issues. Ms Gebert said the parole application process should be reviewed to ensure it does not undermine the integrity of prison sentencing. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Aboriginal woman's newborn baby was ripped from her arms soon after giving birth while in prison. But Heather Calgaret was not given any mental health support after this traumatic event. Over the next two years behind bars, the mother-of-four became obese, developed type 2 diabetes and suffered depression before being denied parole. She died in custody in November 2021 after given an inappropriately prescribed injectable opioid substitution. Countless missed opportunities to prevent the 30-year-old's death in custody were outlined by a coroner on Monday, as her family and supporters filled the courtroom. "Not only was her passing preventable, she should never have passed in the manner that she did," Victorian coroner Sarah Gebert said as she delivered a 300-page finding. The proud Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman had been six months' pregnant when she arrived at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison in July 2019. The removal of her baby girl just after giving birth, because she had been denied access to the prison's Living with Mum program, was a "pivotal" moment, the coroner found. "Heather had her other children removed ... and her family had been affected by the Stolen Generation," Ms Gebert said. "Each of these factors would be expected to produce a range of both trauma-related symptoms and feelings of despair." Ms Calgaret was not given access to a psychologist while at Dame Phyllis and her mental health declined. About six months before her death, Ms Calgaret pleaded in a letter to be released on parole. She explained the See Change program she was required to complete was not available at Dame Phyllis and asked to do it outside prison. "I have four children that need me. I believe I have suffered enough," Ms Calgaret wrote in the letter. She begged for someone to "please read and answer my letter", but it was never forwarded onto the parole board. The coroner said Ms Calgaret had been eligible to be considered for parole more than a year earlier, about seven months after her sentence for aggravated burglary was imposed. It wasn't until October 2021 - a month before she died - that she was told her parole application had been denied because of a lack of suitable accommodation. On November 22, a doctor gave her a dosage of opiate replacement therapy that was too high for her tolerance level. Ms Calgaret's sister Suzzane, who was housed with her at the prison, found her struggling to breathe the following morning. She shook Ms Calgaret to let her know it was time for the daily count, but her younger sister was not moving. A "code black" was called and she was taken to hospital where she died four days later. The Correct Care Australasia doctor had "lacked the careful consideration required" to prescribe the injectable drug, the coroner said. She found Ms Calgaret would not have died if she had not been given the drug, or if she had been supervised afterwards. Suzzane Calgaret welcomed the findings but said it should not have taken her sister's death for changes to be made. "I hope they just have learned from this because it's taken my sister's life, my mum's daughter's life," she said outside court. "There's a reason now for her passing and that reason has been justified by the outcome, but it doesn't bring her back." Ms Gebert issued 16 recommendations, including monitoring women who give birth in custody for post-natal mental health treatment. She encouraged Justice Health to work with the government and stakeholders to improve the psychological services available at the prison and their care of inmates with chronic health issues. Ms Gebert said the parole application process should be reviewed to ensure it does not undermine the integrity of prison sentencing. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Aboriginal woman's newborn baby was ripped from her arms soon after giving birth while in prison. But Heather Calgaret was not given any mental health support after this traumatic event. Over the next two years behind bars, the mother-of-four became obese, developed type 2 diabetes and suffered depression before being denied parole. She died in custody in November 2021 after given an inappropriately prescribed injectable opioid substitution. Countless missed opportunities to prevent the 30-year-old's death in custody were outlined by a coroner on Monday, as her family and supporters filled the courtroom. "Not only was her passing preventable, she should never have passed in the manner that she did," Victorian coroner Sarah Gebert said as she delivered a 300-page finding. The proud Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman had been six months' pregnant when she arrived at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison in July 2019. The removal of her baby girl just after giving birth, because she had been denied access to the prison's Living with Mum program, was a "pivotal" moment, the coroner found. "Heather had her other children removed ... and her family had been affected by the Stolen Generation," Ms Gebert said. "Each of these factors would be expected to produce a range of both trauma-related symptoms and feelings of despair." Ms Calgaret was not given access to a psychologist while at Dame Phyllis and her mental health declined. About six months before her death, Ms Calgaret pleaded in a letter to be released on parole. She explained the See Change program she was required to complete was not available at Dame Phyllis and asked to do it outside prison. "I have four children that need me. I believe I have suffered enough," Ms Calgaret wrote in the letter. She begged for someone to "please read and answer my letter", but it was never forwarded onto the parole board. The coroner said Ms Calgaret had been eligible to be considered for parole more than a year earlier, about seven months after her sentence for aggravated burglary was imposed. It wasn't until October 2021 - a month before she died - that she was told her parole application had been denied because of a lack of suitable accommodation. On November 22, a doctor gave her a dosage of opiate replacement therapy that was too high for her tolerance level. Ms Calgaret's sister Suzzane, who was housed with her at the prison, found her struggling to breathe the following morning. She shook Ms Calgaret to let her know it was time for the daily count, but her younger sister was not moving. A "code black" was called and she was taken to hospital where she died four days later. The Correct Care Australasia doctor had "lacked the careful consideration required" to prescribe the injectable drug, the coroner said. She found Ms Calgaret would not have died if she had not been given the drug, or if she had been supervised afterwards. Suzzane Calgaret welcomed the findings but said it should not have taken her sister's death for changes to be made. "I hope they just have learned from this because it's taken my sister's life, my mum's daughter's life," she said outside court. "There's a reason now for her passing and that reason has been justified by the outcome, but it doesn't bring her back." Ms Gebert issued 16 recommendations, including monitoring women who give birth in custody for post-natal mental health treatment. She encouraged Justice Health to work with the government and stakeholders to improve the psychological services available at the prison and their care of inmates with chronic health issues. Ms Gebert said the parole application process should be reviewed to ensure it does not undermine the integrity of prison sentencing. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
An Indigenous woman's baby was taken from her. It was a ‘pivotal moment' before she died in prison
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains images and names of deceased people. An Indigenous woman's newborn had been taken from her, she had been denied parole and then a doctor prescribed her a high dose of synthetic opiates leading to her death. Heather Calgaret's death in custody was preventable and her health in prison had deteriorated from the moment her baby was removed from her at birth, a coroner found on Monday. 'Not only was her passing preventable, she should never have passed in the manner that she did,' Victorian Coroner Sarah Gebert said as she delivered a 300-page finding following an inquest. The 30-year-old Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman had been six months pregnant when she arrived at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison, in Melbourne's outer west, in July 2019. The removal of her daughter – which Calgaret had described as 'hell' – was a pivotal moment in her overall health decline while in custody, Gebert found. She experienced depression, grief, shame and trauma from the child's removal and separation from her three other children, became obese and was diagnosed with diabetes over her next two years in prison. Calgaret pleaded to be released on parole about six months before her death, writing a letter expressing frustration as one of her parole conditions was to complete a program that was not available. 'I have been told I need to complete the See Change program to complete parole. Dame Phyllis Frost is not running it,' she wrote, as she asked to be permitted to complete the program outside prison.
The Age
4 days ago
- Health
- The Age
An Indigenous woman's baby was taken from her. It was a ‘pivotal moment' before she died in prison
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains images and names of deceased people. An Indigenous woman's newborn had been taken from her, she had been denied parole and then a doctor prescribed her a high dose of synthetic opiates leading to her death. Heather Calgaret's death in custody was preventable and her health in prison had deteriorated from the moment her baby was removed from her at birth, a coroner found on Monday. 'Not only was her passing preventable, she should never have passed in the manner that she did,' Victorian Coroner Sarah Gebert said as she delivered a 300-page finding following an inquest. The 30-year-old Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman had been six months pregnant when she arrived at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison, in Melbourne's outer west, in July 2019. The removal of her daughter – which Calgaret had described as 'hell' – was a pivotal moment in her overall health decline while in custody, Gebert found. She experienced depression, grief, shame and trauma from the child's removal and separation from her three other children, became obese and was diagnosed with diabetes over her next two years in prison. Calgaret pleaded to be released on parole about six months before her death, writing a letter expressing frustration as one of her parole conditions was to complete a program that was not available. 'I have been told I need to complete the See Change program to complete parole. Dame Phyllis Frost is not running it,' she wrote, as she asked to be permitted to complete the program outside prison.
