QUEEN MONTY: I've got 24 notebooks over the last 18 months of things happening to him there. And, you know...
For example?
He had two teeth removed by the dentist in there. And the dentist left bits of a tooth in his gum, you know, that got infected and were causing him all sorts of pain and grief, and they wouldn't do anything for him. They wouldn't. You know, they wouldn't call the dentist back, and they wouldn't give him pain meds, and it was that he was treated very poorly, you know, and ended up two months later. He had more infections in his mouth. So, you know, they withhold their medications from them. It's like when he got down to Launceston from Hobart last week. He was released without taking his medications that day. But he gets daily cholesterol tablets, which they didn't give him that day. And they're just; they're the law unto themselves. Really.
So, how does your communication with J go through? He is calling you...
He calls me. Yeah.
This is a very specific issue in prison: is there reasonable access to the phone?
Yeah, so there'll be two phones...
Is he at the maximum now?
He's moved to medium, yeah. But he spent probably, you know, 17 of the 19 months at maximum. It was only towards the end that they moved into medium, where there were two phones for 100 people and 100 inmates, and they all got 10 minutes each. And there aren't enough phones in there at all.
Is he working in prison?
He was... towards the end. Yep.
To cover those phone calls...
Yeah, he was a bin collector or something. I think that was his job.
Do you know how much he was getting?
I think about $35 a week. Yeah.
Is that actually enough to cover the phone calls?
So... I can put money on his phone or in his account, and he can put it onto his phone from there.
Are you working?
I am not working. No, not at the moment.
So, you're looking after children. And you have money from Centrelink.
Yes. Yes.
So, you have to put something into J's account (for those phone calls). How difficult is it?
It can be. Depending on the fortnight, you know, how many bills are in at that time? You know, but he would always not ask for help because he's one of those proud, you know, proud men. So he would go without a canteen to put money on the phone. So he wouldn't have to ask for money.
The canteen?
There is bonus shopping, you know, chocolate, cordial, things like that. And he would go without those...
Can you go back to this moment of J clashing with the criminal justice system and how it resulted? How did it affect the well-being of your family and yourself?
I only met him four years ago; he was three weeks out on parole when I met him. He'd just served eleven years.
What... eleven years... what was he there for?
His charge was murder. He got into a fight with some dickheads when he was 21 and acted in self-defence, but the judge said that it was excessive. Excessive self-defence. So yeah. He served 11 years and then had a seven-year parole period ahead of him. I met him three weeks ago. He Yep. He had spent three years on parole. They took him in and revoked that parole, and it'll reset from there.
How did it happen that you met each other?
The coffee shop in town. Yeah, I was working across the road from the coffee shop. And he was there, walking in... And yeah, we just started talking. That was it.
So, do you remember yourself actually, it was challenging for you that... the person you invested your feelings in has this, you know, the burden of serving time in prison?
It affected everyone around me more than it did me. You know, some people had a big problem with it. But the way that he explained it, he was straight up from the start. He was honest: this is what I've done and what happened. And yeah, I just took him for who he was then. And yeah, he was. He was pretty, pretty incredible. You know, he battles with the addiction every day. And, you know, he resists every day, but there are occasions where, you know, if he's triggered, or if there's a major sort of crisis going on, then everyone is prone to relapse, I suppose. And unfortunately, he's got extreme consequences when he relapses. And that's what happens with so many other, you know, other guys.
What about your family?
So, they didn't approve, you know. My mom - blessed her, she's very old-fashioned. And, you know, all she heard was the murder charge. And she sort of had a mind up before she met him. But she came around to him eventually, after spending some time together, and then he breached and got back, put back in, which put their relationship back a bit.
From the moment of the first breach and his first going back and disappearing from your life again, were you already seriously involved?
Oh, yeah.
Do you have children together?
Not together. No, only the dog. But we were living together full time. And yeah, so we were pretty much a de facto couple, I guess you would say.
So, your children are also, I understand, invested emotionally.
Yes. Yeah. Especially my youngest.
How come?
Just because she is the youngest, and the other two would have been maybe 15 or 16 when he came along.
And the youngest was...?
She is 13 now, so she would have been eight or nine when they first met. And yeah, being the youngest, she took to him, I suppose.
I remember from your emails, and I was really shocked that prison is making it incredibly difficult for you to go there with children. I couldn't understand why they were chopping these visits into half-hour bits...
There are half-hour visits.
Why do you think is that?
They've always been there 45 minutes before COVID-19 hit. And then they stopped the visits during COVID. And then, when they reintroduced them, they just decided 30 minutes was (enough)...
With children?
Yeah. If you're lucky, you can get a double one day a week in medium, which I was going down there for. But otherwise, it's 30 minutes—of contact and 30 minutes of Zoom. That's it.
You are doing Zoom...
Yeah. It's too hard to get down there. For contact visits, as much as I love him, it’s really hard to get down there.
So, what's hard about it for you?
Driving. I don't like driving at the best of times, let alone three hours down the highway. And it's like an eight-hour day for 30 minutes, and of course, they're worth it. But sometimes, it can be too much.
30 minutes with kids - and they expect that people can actually have quality time.
Yeah.
So, tell me, how did you go through this stage of understanding how the system works and affects you psychologically?
I still don't understand how the system works. I suppose it was just that you're being thrown into the deep end. You know, J had to deal with it. So, I had to deal with it. And you're just asked questions as you go along in your research, and yeah, I knew nothing about the Tasmanian justice system. When I met J, I had no idea that things were as bad as they really are.
So, this is the first person who actually has done jail time in your life.
Yeah, the first glimpse into that sort of world. Yeah, it was an eye-opener, that's for sure...
Is it like you go there, and you feel angry, and you are actually confronting people in Risdon? I am asking because there are different strategies to cope with this system. What is your strategy?
When I go into Risdon?
Or when you write, because you have to write every time you have to ask for those day passes or visits.
You have to ring up every time; the day before, you must ring up and book your visit. So that gets a bit tedious. And that's just become part of your routine, you know, 8.45, right, ring VRC, book the visit. And then, Yeah, wait two weeks; that becomes the routine.
And what kind of emotional response does it bring? What do you feel about it?
Yeah, it's frustrating. And you sort of, you know, the feel like you're lower class or something just because you kept away from your loved ones. And you've got people telling you when you can see them, and people are listening to your phone calls and hovering behind you when you're on a visit, and you can't relax with them. You can't be open with them. You know, 18 months of not having a deep and meaningful conversation with your partner because you don't want the whole frickin prison to know about it. You know, it takes a huge toll on a relationship, you know, because you've got to keep everything surface level and know-how with the kids. Yeah, kids are good. And yeah, yeah, you run out of conversation sooner or later. That was, yeah, that was hard.
Do you have to go through security every time and have a search?
There's not a search every time. It's random. So, the only search that I ever had was on one occasion, and they just did a quick, you know, open your mouth. and to check for drugs in your mouth. That was the only search I had. But I know of another partner who has been thoroughly searched pretty much every time she's gone down. And they've had the dogs—the sniffer dogs—and even her child has been searched.
Can you say to what extent... what is the impact on J? Do you see the difference in him? Because you mentioned that he's disappearing as a person.
There's prison J, and then there's what I call my J. And, you know, even now that he's gone back in, his demeanour changes the second he is, you know, an inmate; he gets back into the inmate mentality. And yeah, he just, Yeah, it's not. He looks like him. It sounds like him. But it doesn't feel like him. It's hard. Because you're not used to hearing him talk a certain way. You're not used to the tone. And, you know, all of a sudden you. Yeah, that's not my guy. Yeah.
I understand you and your children are his family unit now...
Yes. Yeah. He also has a daughter, but she lives down in Hobart.
Is he in contact with her?
Yes, very much so.
On the phone?
Yeah, mainly (through) his phone calls. She came up to stay when he was home just now (when J was on parole). So that was, you know, they got that time together...
So why are you writing those notebooks?
Just because you hear them on the phone talking about it, you feel powerless to do anything. So, you think, well, if I write it down, maybe, you know, one day something will come of it. And you forget little details.
So, this was the most recent notebook?
No, this was from the time that I was making this submission (submission of the testimony to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Incarceration in Tasmania in 2023), actually. And I was getting J's input as well.
Can you read some of those notes?
Yep. So, there's the lockdowns...
What happens to J if he's locked for too long?
He gets angry. And yeah, from what I've heard them say, they get angry; they get paranoid because they can't ring home, you know; they think the worst, but their partners are out. You know, living the high life, and you know, and paranoia kicks in and...
The paranoia that they are losing their partners.
Yeah, yeah. And it's the same for the partners at home when we don't hear from the guys. You know, why aren't they calling? Yeah. The prison doesn't tell you anything.
You count the hours that he is spending in isolation.
Yep. So J was doing this; he was marking it on the calendar. You know how often they were coming out and how often they were on lockdown. Because there was a period for about 9 or 10 months, whether there wasn't a day, they were out all day. It was either half a day, or they were fully locked down.
How is he physically coping? Is he putting on weight?
He put on a lot of weight. No exercise... Yeah. He's got swollen, you know, his legs are... and his feet are all swollen. And they've done nothing to help him with that. Yeah, the health care in there is shit. Very shit.
How old is he now?
He is 36. Now.
Yes, this is the age where you start to... it's just that if you have some health issues, it takes a bit longer to recover.
Yeah.
To get back to normal...
Yeah.
I am very sorry. Do you make notes about your conversations with him?
Yeah, it depends on the day; if it feels like something worth noting, I'll write it down. Or he'll say it right: "Can you write this down for me?"
For example?
If there was a conversation that he had with an officer that, you know, the officer said something that he shouldn't have, you know, then J want it written down so that he can remember it.
So there are some tensions... I understand that Jayden has a very strong sense of injustice happening to him.
Yes, for sure. Yeah. They have a smug attitude to them. Sometimes, you know, there are some really horrible ones in there. Especially if they've already got something against an inmate and that inmate is involved in an incident. So, there was a fight one day in J's unit. And it was between two or three inmates. But the response team came in, and capsicum sprayed the whole unit. So, guys, that wasn't even part of the fight but being thrown to the ground. And, you know, J said he had a knee in the back of his head... And he wasn't even doing anything. He was just playing cards at the time. Yeah, but yet they, you know, treated him like shit. Two-thirds of the people in prison have been in there before, and approximately half of those released will return. And he said that many of those will return on purpose because they're so institutionalised that they can't cope. You know, you've only got a look at this current situation that we're in. He went in there to be honest with his parole officer that he'd been around, you know, the drug use, and instead of helping it, like he went in for help to get into the rehab, that was his plan, that, you know, his parole officer would be able to help him get the ball rolling, and said, That's why he was going in there. And he sort of went from that to all of a sudden, and a warrant was issued for him. And he's handing himself in.
You have to describe what happened when (while on parole) he was sitting in a car next to the person who was actually smoking.
Yeah, so it was; I think he picked someone up to give them a ride home or whatever. And this person just happened to pull out a pipe stupidly and, you know, was smoking. And then, because Jay's urine was tested for drugs that could show up in his sample, and so if he gets a positive drug reading, then he gets sent back anyway. So, he wanted to be upfront with the parole officer and say, I'm not worried about it, but I've done this (being in a car with a person smoking drugs). I've been with this guy, blah, blah, blah.
But he won't have it in his system, just from sitting next to the person smoking.
You can get trace amounts. Yeah. So, it was quickly after he learned that he needed to report that he was suspended, and he was going back.
Through breathing?
It was crystal meth. So, he wasn't worried about the result. You know, he was just trying to, should there be something. This is why there's something, you know, he wasn't worried. So, it all happened. I think. Tuesday or Wednesday, he saw the parole officer. Thursday morning, the Parole Board issued the warrant. And 12 o'clock yesterday. He handed himself in, and that was it. He was gone.
Hand in himself... he went to the police station in Launceston.
Yeah, they gave him that chance.
I can't imagine 'running' a family and having this kind of week together, and then...
It's horrible. It's really, really horrible. I did go with him. Yeah. Yeah, you know, you hear them say their goodbyes to their mum, you know? And yeah, it's horrible. And then you've got to say goodbye to them, and you've got to walk away and go back to the car while they're about to go, you know? Yeah, I wouldn't wish that to anyone. That's for sure.
So how long is this time? How long is what's left of his sentence?
Well, in a worst-case scenario, he's got six years left. Yeah. Yep. So they haven't revoked him this time. They've just suspended him.
So there's a chance that he will just have a punishment for that.
Yep. So the penalty is to spend a few weeks in Risdon, and then he will be released.
So, the parole officer recommends what she thinks. And she can recommend a formal warning—you know, a formal warning. Then, she can recommend a suspension period or a revoke.
What do you expect is going to happen?
She told him on Wednesday that it was just a formal warning, you know, so she wasn't going to recommend anything; it was, you know, that was going to be done. And then somewhere between that conversation and an hour later, it became, "No, it's not a formal warning; we're now going to sit in front of the board, and this is what they're going to say." Yeah, it just escalated very quickly. And we're not quite sure how, where, or why. There was an incident between J and the parole board secretary, and the secretary then wrote a report saying that J, you know, had a bad attitude. And because Jay was questioning some of the parole conditions being read to him,
Like what?
So, because J's daughter lives in Hobart, and Jay has a parole condition that he's not allowed south of the Oatlands... So, he's got to go around the back. And then, this time, they specified that he couldn't be in the city of Clarence; I believe it was. And, of course, that's where his daughter lives in Harrow, in the city of Clarence. And, you know, Jay just said to the secretary, 'Can I see her?' You know, how do I remember the entire conversation? But, um, yeah. Ben's (the parole officer) attitude needed to be noted, as well as J's attitude, but of course, it wasn't. It was a one-sided report, and everyone read it. Oh, yeah. All right, J has the attitude. And that's annoying, that sort of thing...
Everyone is expecting J to act politely...
Exactly. Yep.
‘Control yourself”.
His parole officer had a problem with how J came out on Tuesday when he was released. And, you know, as J says, you've just spent 18 months in prison; you can't just switch that off because you're outside. You know, you said it takes a bit of adjustment. And yeah, but they don't get that side of things. They do have to be someone else in there, and then they come out. And, of course, it's gonna take them, you know, time to readjust.
Do you dare make plans at this stage? Are you always just too stressed? Or you don't want to be disappointed.
Pretty much. That's kind of the lesson that we've learned. You know, because of all the parole conditions, you can't plan a holiday because of the curfew. And you can't, you know; we can't even spend the night in a hotel because of curfew. (Somebody enters the room) And hello, hello. This is Lucy, my daughter...
Nice to meet you.
Oh, yeah, she's got a sore throat at the moment.
Oh, you probably need to eat ice cream for that.
We are talking about J... Oh, she asked a boy out today.
You did ask? That's pretty full-on. You are very emancipated. So, what are you going to do? What are you going for a date?
Lucy: Nowhere.
?
No. So it's not like going somewhere together. It's just that they are going to play basketball.
(back to Queen Monty) So you say you're not making plans?
No.
But is there any prospect; you can go to work or something? Do you make this kind of plan?
He wants to work.
What kind of work can he do?
He's got quite a few. He's got barista tickets, a forklift license, and traffic control; he was working in traffic control for a while. Loves gardening. So he was working with this Launceston City Council in the cemetery over in Kings Meadows for a while, but they found out that he had a murder charge and sacked him.
Sacked from the cemetery?
Yeah.
That sounds like a joke.
He was devastated because he loved that job. And, yeah, that was kind of the beginning of what became the revoking of the parole because it was just knocked back after a setback. People were, you know, just flat-out refusing to hire him because of his murder charge or the gap in his resume. And yet, no one was willing to give him a chance. Or, you know, listen to what he had to say. He went back to using it because of that. His mum tried to do an unfair dismissal thing, but it never happened. I'm not quite sure what happened with that. I think J told her to leave it. Because, yeah, he feels embarrassed after a while. And he feels shame. And he's sort of getting over that now, which is good. And he's willing to speak up and have his voice heard. Yeah, some contract work in traffic control. He was helping a delivery driver for a while. Yeah, he wants to work.
The reason he's losing work is because he's still using drugs or because...
No, because of the criminal...
But they're supposed to check his criminal records before hiring him.
Um, so they see his resume, and they see the 11-year gap on his resume. And they questioned him about that. He says, "I've been in prison. What have you been there for? Murder. Oh, sh*t, okay." And then that's it; they don't take it any further. They don't get him in for the next stage or so of the job at SRT, where he was helping the delivery driver; he was pretty much guaranteed a paid position—you know, a permanent position, I should say—at the end of that, and it was all going forward. Then, it got to the gap in the resume. And he told them that there was a murder charge, and the job fell through. Yeah, you see that it has a huge impact on them. Because they want to move forward, they want to get on with their lives. And, you know, so this murder charge was 15 years ago now, and it's still in his face every day. You see, he's had no other violent offences or anything in his name, but it's still held against him. Then you see that they get released from prison with nothing, with no help, with no support. So it's inevitable that they will end up back in there. They really do nothing to help them once they're released. And they're almost setting them up to fail. And, you know, of course, they're just going back in there. One, because it's all they know and you know, because they have to do crime to...
There is no employment for them...
Yeah, they're all told to get a mobile phone within 24 hours of being released on parole. They're released with no money. So if, you know, J says that he's blessed because he's got family that can help him, but he's a 36-year-old man, a proud man who doesn't want to come home and say, Oh, honey, can I borrow 100 bucks for a mobile phone? You know, or you get the guys that don't have that available to them. And it's a parole condition. They have to have a mobile phone.
To stay in touch.
Yep. to stay in touch with the parole officer.
But he probably also had a bracelet.
He was on the bracelet as well. Yeah.
So, why both? You are monitored (Electronic monitoring of a tracking device consists of an electronic device commonly referred to as an ankle bracelet).
And under curfew...
If you can't afford a mobile phone, it means costs.
Well, J said to his parole officer: I haven't got any money. How do I get a phone? And Ben, the officer said to him, "Well, you've got one week to figure it out." And that's, that wasn't in Ben's report that he said that...
So, how did you figure it out? Did you pay for it?
Yeah. And J paid me back, as he does. He always does. Yeah, but that wasn't easy for him to come out and do and take money from me. You know, I know what he's like. Yeah, some guys don't have that luxury of family support. But yet, they still have to. Yet they still have to get a mobile phone.
Do you have friends... somebody with a similar experience, or are you just on your own?
It's just me. Yeah. I did have my mum and dad living here until they moved away in February last year; they moved over to Victoria. So yeah, it's just me and the kids. I don't have many friends. Or any at all.
Really?
Yeah.
Is it because of J's situation?
Partly Yep. I used to work with the girls, and they, you know, I sort of fell out with them. Because they felt a certain way about Jay, and I didn't like that.
Did they say that, or did they just slowly disappear?
Slowly disappeared. I would say yeah, for sure. Yeah, it can. Be very lonely, very isolating.
So, you don't look for any kind of help. With some, I don't know, like a psychologist...
I'm supposed to do it because I have really bad anxiety. But you sort of get to the point where you... well, this is my safe haven (the house), for example, you know, so if I don't have to go out, I will not go out. Yeah. Which is sad.
So you are in prison yourself.
Yeah. That's, you know, my dad has said that, as well, that I'm doing time...
If I may ask, what is triggering your anxiety?
I think it's being on my own. And yeah, just not having that comfort of someone, you know, and if there were to be a physical threat, you know, I know, J would have it handled. And, you know, we've got nothing to be afraid of when J is here. But when it's just me, and I'm in charge, and I'm responsible for the kids, if there was to be something at nighttime, for example, wouldn't you know, I'd be terrified.
So you don't feel safe in this neighbourhood?
I don't feel safe anywhere on my own.
Is it just the result of the whole situation, prison...
Yeah...
Isn't that something you always have?
I've always sort of had anxiety, but not to the point where it is now; it's almost crippling now. It's pretty intense.
Because of this, you're putting yourself at risk of taking drugs or drinking. Is this how people usually self-medicate?
That's exactly right, especially in this sort of town. You know, every second house is just about... the drugs are pretty easily available here. That's for sure. Yeah, so you can see why people do what they do when you're in the situation.
But you are probably a highly responsible mom...
It's the kids. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. The kids have saved my life. Because they're my reason to get up, and yeah, that's probably why I keep my notebooks. Yeah, because that is my download and my offload. Because I don't really have anybody else to talk it over with...
So, how did you find out about this inquiry? (Parliamentary Inquiry into Incarceration in Tasmania, 2023) So, this is the first time you put together words and submitted something like an official complaint.
I was contacted by the vigilante news Facebook page because I'd spoken with them before about a few different incidents that had happened. And yeah, they contacted me and said, Well, this is happening now. Do the submission, so yeah. Bugger, it will have a voice for once...
I have countless letters that I've written to the prison, you know, over different matters that I can email all to you if you want to if you want to read them along with their responses. I've got all their responses.
You're writing very well. Do you know that?
Thank you.
You have also mentioned (in the submission) that you can see that he (J) is suffering from all sorts of mental health issues.
He's got PTSD...
You said it was PTSD, anxiety, depression, flashbacks, and nightmares.
The nightmares. Yeah, he wakes up terrified, you know, or he'll wake up in a rage, you know; it can be one end of the spectrum to another, you know; it just depends on the dream. Sometimes, he can, you know, you'll wake up crying, or he'll wake up just screaming.
So, what do you do?
Yeah, you just have to sit in the dark with him, and you know... He gets himself out of it most of the time. I'm just going to lie in the next room. But yeah, he does the sort of thing that he deals with that people wouldn't even know about. Or because of what these people have done to him...
What about J's friends? Is he also lost his friends?
Yeah, so most of J’s friends are either in Risdon at the moment or they're out here, but they're not allowed to socialise with each other...
So they met in prison...
Ashley's... a lot of the guys that J’s mates with? A lot of the guys he's friends with now, he's known since Ashley's, and it's the same, same guys. Same groups. When they get back into communities, they still can't see each other for the period of time when they are on parole. If they're on parole, they can't socialise with other criminals. Once they've done their full-time, they’re free to do what they want. Yeah, but J can't go and see his mate down here because he's also on parole. You know, and that makes it difficult for him as well.
In Launceston... in this neighbourhood. Does he have any kind of a social life...
No, he probably doesn't, really. He's got his family. And that's probably his main support as well.
His mum.
Yeah.
Father?
The father's not on the scene. He's got a younger sister and a younger brother who are close. He's close with them, and, you know, they're in Launceston, too, which is good. But mate wise. He really doesn't have that many because he's not allowed to. And so he just, yeah, he's got that he doesn't trust anyone... this mentality about him now after everything that's happened. So he's very, very guarded.
It looks like you and your kids are his world, as well as his mom and siblings.
And a lot of the time, when something is going on in there, he can't talk about it on the phone anyway. So, you know, there's that barrier between us.
So, that will be the easiest and cheapest way to address inmates' mental health issues and let them have more normal relations with their loved ones.
Yeah, so when you go into a visit, and you hug them, you've got about 20 seconds before the officers are saying, 'All right, that's enough. That's enough.' And you haven't seen them for months at a time, and you know, you're told to separate and sit across the table; you can't even hold hands across the table. Yeah, it's unnecessary to take those sorts of measures. You know, they're in jumpsuits, their zip is tied, they're not going to... they can't do anything, they can't get anything...
Having a connection with loved ones can simply make them more peaceful, less frustrated, and less suicidal.
J had a couple of moments in there when he was suicidal.
Did you detect it, or did he tell you?
No, he told me after the fact.
So, is there any chance for him to see a psychologist?
In there? No, no, there's no. They have their planning officers who do bugger all for them. But there's nothing for mental health in there. Nothing.
So, it’s just your job.
It's just the families. Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah. It's up to the families to, you know, keep them positive and keep them strong.
I understand, okay? So this is your job. But in Risdon, did they ever kind of reach out for you and say, "Okay, we know that you're his partner, you're visiting, you have children; this is the service that you can reach out to and ask for some kind of guidance on how to navigate this situation?"
Never, never, never, never. Nothing. You know, sometimes they don't even tell the families that there's been something going on with their inmates...
This is also something you mentioned (in the submission).
Yep. So, they can be put in 'segregation' for a week, and you have no idea what's going on? Because, you know, they don't; they're supposed to ring and tell you, but they don't: "Are you calling to find out what's going on? Oh, no, we can't talk to you about that".
So, if you call them, who do you call, and what department is it?
It goes through to the visitor's reception centre. I think there are three girls sitting there.
Those that are receiving the crowd of people (visitors). And sometimes children and other visitors... This is where you call?
Yes. Yeah.
But they have no clue about what's going on (inside the prison)...
Yep, that's exactly right. They can check something on their computer, you know,
They can check if there's something in the system.
Yeah. So they can see if they've been moved to a punishment unit or something like that. But yeah, most of the time, they're like, "No, it doesn't seem to be anything on them."
But each prisoner has their own case manager; that's the person to talk to...
The planning officer? Yeah. So, they don't even contact the families at all.
Can you contact them?
You can ring VRC and ask to be, you know, either put through or leave a message for them.
Do you know the name of this person (the case manager)?
I know the name of his planning officer. Yeah. I've spoken to her maybe twice.
How come you managed to talk to this person?
Because J asked her to ring me and update me.
And what was the reason?
It was about the accommodation for his parole that he was trying to apply.
So, they had to get in touch with you to check if this is the right place for him to have as a base.
Yeah, pretty much. Yeah.
So, this is the absolute minimum.
Very bare minimum. Yeah.
If you're sending letters, are you also sending letters to the visitor centre?
Yeah. So, it goes through a PO box. I can write a letter today and send it today. And J won't get it until Monday, but the following Monday. It takes well over a week for one letter to get down there.
And somebody is reading letters...
Yeah, they read all the letters.
How did you learn that? They, or J, told you?
No, J told me. Yeah... You can't even, you know, really let your guard down. Sorry, I thought that was the prison then. I think it is. ... (phone ringing) So, there's a specific time of the day when he is more likely to get to the phone. Well, it's him... It’s a little bit different now because he's just in the remand centre... And I can tell you, yeah, and I don't know the schedule. It had to be the prison... I don't know if it was him because he rang from a different number, but it was definitely the prison. Strange (ring): Do you mind if I answer?
Hello. Yes, it is.
I'm good. Thanks. How are you? (phone conversation) Yes.
​
(police) He's got some paperwork here that he just wanted to sign out to you. So I just need you to come in at some stage and collect it. Yeah.
What's the latest? I can come in today.
You should be able to...
Okay, 5, 5.30?
We could do with that.
And then do I come through the police station or around the back?
Around the back to a set of stairs. And if you give us a call when you're on the set of stairs, we can figure it out.
Okay. Wonderful. Thank you very much.
No worries. Thanks, Amanda.
Thank you. Bye.
What was it?
So, it’s about J's property from when he was down in Risdon, which wasn't sent up with him. All the letters or cards, you know, all this paperwork. That's now ready to be picked up. So Jay had to sign it out to me so that I could go and pick it up for him and bring it home. So it doesn't get lost.
That's it? Nothing more about how long he's going to stay there?
No, because they, the officers themselves, don't know. They don't know anything, really. But I will ask how he's doing when I get in there and just do a bit of a check on him. I won't be able to see him, of course.
Do you know the condition of this place?
J says it's disgusting. That's probably worse than Risdon, but I've never been in that one.
As long as he's on remand, can he actually make phone calls?
He can make it. Yeah, he can get time out of his cell to make phone calls. So, I've had a couple of calls today. But then it's four o'clock. They're locked down for the night. Four o'clock, four o'clock until 8 a.m. the next morning.
In the cell.
Yeah. By themselves. Yep.
What is he doing?
I don't know. I'm hoping that he's got his Sony. And he's playing.
His PlayStation?
Yeah. But yeah, before he had that, he said that he just sat there and stared at the wall for hours and hours. Sometimes, he'd be lucky to have a TV, so we'd watch TV or listen to the radio.
Books?
He can request books, but it takes weeks to get them from the library...
But he needs to know what kind of books he requests...
Yeah.
No browsing.
No. No.
Can you give him something to read?
He has to request that I bring that book in.
Specifically.
Yep, specifically. Then, security has to approve that request. Then I took the booking; security had to review the book. And then, so it could take, you know, up to a week before he would get the book. Between me bringing it down and security passing it on, It can take up to a week.
What about things like paper and pencil? So, he can sit down and write...
He can buy the paper in the canteen. Yeah. And yeah, so he would draw a lot; he's very artistic.
Do you have any of his drawings?
Yeah, it should do; I got the folder.
Is it by a pencil?
Yeah, whatever he can get.
Oh, that's him. I can see...
Yeah.
You are very beautiful together. Is it you, ‘The queen”? 'My queen. Mine, one and only mine forever. And this is his?
Yeah. So he draws all little...
And all of this came to you as letters.
Yeah, it's just in the mail every day. There was a time when we'd write to each other every day.
He's calling you the Queen.
Yeah. Queen Monty.
So, was he the one who started to call you the queen, or did you introduce yourself that way?
No, he started. That's not me... He just got this one tattooed on him yesterday before he went in.
And what is it?
It’s a cross between the infinity symbol and unconditional love.
So, this is Mobius's ribbon.
Yeah. And we sort of moulded the two together, and he got that one tattooed.
...and more pictures...
Yeah, you're welcome to flip through... he calls it ‘the warehouse’; you know, they just closed off and left to rot in their cells, basically. There are no education programs and no drug treatment unit anymore because they shut that down.
Oh, this is his caramel slice, his prison's recipe.
Yeah.
It's made from ingredients that they can actually buy in there...
The canteen. Yeah. He would love for you to try his slice. It's so good.
So that's another thing he can do.
If they can afford the ingredients.
This is a slightly creepy teddy bear...
Yeah.
It's just super sweet (the caramel slice).
So good. So this is the marriage proposal.
Oh, really...
He wrote it and read that out over the phone. Then, this one was a poem that he wrote.
When he did this one?
June last year.
You mentioned that you guys are engaged...
Yeah.
So that was your engagement...
Yeah, yeah, over the phone. Yeah.
So, in 10 minutes.
Yeah. Yep.
At the beginning, they say they are announcing that the conversation is recorded.
Yep.
It was actually recorded.
I imagine they would have done it, but I'm not quite sure.
So what did he say?
He read that... This letter.
And what did you say?
Of course, I said Yes.
So, there's 10 minutes. And before, when it gets to 10 minutes, they just...
It just hangs up.
With a warning or...
When they get a 30-second warning, and then, that's it. But the first 20 seconds are spent listening to, you know, the voiceover, so you're wasting your first 20 seconds listening to her saying: This is Risdon.. bla, bla, bla, this is Risdon ... you might be subject to monitoring and recording if you do not wish to... Except she says it is a lot slower on the phone.
Well, you learn to manage frustration and anger? Well. I would explode, probably.
Yeah. And you do sometimes. Yeah. And you certainly have. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
So, when you explode, what do you do?
I cry. That's my outlet. Yeah. Yeah.
But if you have too much of it (pointing at the caramel slice), will you just die from a sugar overdose?
Yes. Yeah. And he loves doing stuff like that, too. You know, because he knows that everyone enjoys it. And so, do you want some more?
No, no. Oh, my God. This is so full-on... This is what you had left before he went back to jail.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, that was a full tray. And then we also sent a little tub of it to my daughter. So there was a lot of it. That's his caramel. Slice, that one. Yeah. The other one was a mint slice. Yeah, I have the recipe because he wrote all these recipes.
So, vanilla slice, slice caramel slice. Vanilla. There's the caramel one.
So, people have access to a kitchen, where they can make things.
Yes, they've got... I think they've got a microwave and a sandwich press.
Well, I don't know what to say. Because it's sad, but at the same time, you're doing all possible to make it normal.
Yeah. And there's nothing normal about a partner in prison, let alone a partner in Risdon prison.
What do you think? Once J is free, would you stay here in Tasmania?
No, no way. The sooner we can get... especially him, out of here, the better.
