Decision on prisoner tomorrow

Press, 15 June 1983, Page 5

Decision on prisoner tomorrow

An inmate of Christchurch Women’s Prison, who has spent five days in Sunnyside Hospital after she tried to chew stitches out of her slashed wrists, will not return to the prison before tomorrow.

The woman, who earlier this year lit four fires in the prison in an apparent suicide attempt, was refused admittance to Sunnyside Hospital on Sunday, June 5, after a later incident when she slashed her wrists, because the hospital does not have any security facilities. She was admitted to Sunnyside on June 9 after negotiations between the

Health Department and the Justice Department, on the condition that she would be there for five days only and that the prison would provide two officers to watch her at all times. The inmate’s file was reviewed by a judge last evening and she was returned to Sunnyside until tomorrow when her case will again be reviewed. Two officers will again be provided to watch the inmate. ;;

The prison superintendent, Miss Fleur Grenfell, said she could not comment for reasons of security on where the woman would be kept if she returned to the prison tomorrow, or on whether she would receive special psychiatric care. After the latest incident, the Minister of Justice, Mr McLay, has asked for a report on the future handling of psychologically disturbed women prisoners. However, Miss Grenfell said yesterday that she had not yet been asked for information about the problem.