Prisoners should be kept 72 hours, not 21 days: coroner

The magnitude of clip prisoners tin beryllium held successful ticker houses should beryllium drastically reduced, portion backing for organisations supporting radical successful custody should beryllium boosted, a coroner says.

Deputy State Coroner Stephanie Gallagher made the recommendations successful the findings of an inquest into the deaths of 2 women who died of earthy causes successful Queensland ticker houses, with concerns raised astir the attraction and supervision they received.

One of the women died successful a ticker location portion waiting transportation to the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre.Credit: Toby Crockford

Indigenous pistillate Shiralee Deanne Tilberoo, known arsenic Aunty Sherry, died astatine the Brisbane City Watch House connected September 10, 2020, and Vlasta Wylucki was 50 years aged erstwhile she died successful the Southport Watch House connected March 1, 2018.

She died from ischaemic bosom illness owed to coronary atherosclerosis. Tilberoo, 49, died from a subarachnoid haemorrhage, owed to a ruptured berry aneurysm.

Watch location officers who checked connected some women recorded that nary problems were detected erstwhile they appeared intelligibly unwell oregon their authorities of wellbeing could not beryllium determined, Gallagher said successful findings published connected Thursday.

The women were besides experiencing substance withdrawal – Tilberoo from heroin and Wylucki from alcohol.

Tilberoo was held for an “unusually agelong period” aft being arrested connected outstanding warrants relating to 56 offences.

Family of the Rockhampton-born pistillate said she wasn’t capable to flooded the trauma of the Aboriginal Protection Act epoch that filtered down the generations.

“They’d beryllium astir array and speech astir it, however their connection was taken disconnected them, however their taste practices were taken disconnected them, surviving astatine Woorabinda, these Aboriginal communities were attraction camps, you woke by the doorbell and you slept by the bell, you toileted by the bell,” the inquest findings punctuation them arsenic saying.

Tilberoo refused nutrient and aesculapian services portion waiting transportation to the Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre, which was taking a maximum of 5 prisoners a time owed to COVID-19 restrictions.

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She was intelligibly deceased erstwhile an serviceman took meal to her compartment astir 6am 4 days aft her arrest.

One serviceman who made 7 mendacious entries relating to inspections of Tilberoo was suspended from work for six months earlier being redeployed, portion the constabulary Ethical Standards Command recommended 3 officers beryllium referred implicit nonaccomplishment of duty.

Gallagher said she accepted failures to behaviour checks were not done retired of malice oregon radical prejudice.

Wylucki, a erstwhile caregiver who was calved successful Croatia, was enactment successful a compartment astir 6pm connected February 28, 2018 aft her apprehension for contravening a home unit order.

Officers were incapable to resuscitate her erstwhile she could not beryllium roused astir 12 hours later.

The inquest was told she was asked to enactment her mattresses connected the level erstwhile enactment into a azygous occupancy compartment with different pistillate who was successful the lone bed.

Laura Wylucki had told the inquest uncovering retired what happened to her parent was a immense shock.

“They each thought she went to sleep, and she did, and she ne'er woke up,” she said.

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