Dame Phyllis Frost Centre
Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (formerly the Deer Park Metropolitan Women's Correctional Centre) is a maximum security women's prison located at Deer Park, Victoria, Australia.[2] It was designed by Guymer Bailey Architects Pty. Ltd. and built in 1996 as the first privately designed, financed and operated prison in Victoria. The centre is named after welfare worker and philanthropist Dame Phyllis Frost who was well known for her commitment to unpopular causes, most notably helping women prisoners. It is Victoria's largest women's prison and holds 604 prisoners.[3]
| |
| Location | Deer Park, Victoria |
|---|---|
| Security class | Maximum Security |
| Capacity | 604 [1] |
| Opened | 15 August 1996 |
| Managed by | Corrections Victoria |
It is one of only two women's prisons in Victoria, the other being HM Prison Tarrengower. As HM Prison Tarrengower is minimum security mainstream, all other female prisoners (medium security, maximum security, and all protection prisoners) are imprisoned at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.
The prison facility was opened on 15 August 1996 and received its first prisoners that same month, many of whom had been transferred from Fairlea Women's Prison.[4][2]
On 3 October 2000, the government took control of the facility and appointed an administrator under section 8F of the Corrections Act, and section 27B of the prison contract to operate the prison. On 2 November 2000, the Minister for Corrections announced the transfer of ownership and management of MWCC to the public sector.[2]
Notable incidents
On 24 October 2003, a male prison guard was charged with raping a mentally ill prisoner who was found to be pregnant when she was transferred to the Thomas Embling Hospital, a secured psychiatric hospital, and DNA tests revealed the prison guard was the father. The guard pleaded not guilty to the charges.[5]
In December 2007, a Department of Justice and Regulation office filing cabinet which was being moved to new offices was mistakenly discarded at a second-hand furniture shop and bought by a Point Cook couple who discovered abandoned documents in the cabinet. After lengthy court action, documents from the filing cabinet were released and revealed allegations of corruption and sexual abuse at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.[6]
In November 2009, it was reported in the media that heroin and methamphetamine were "readily available" in the jail and that there had been a large increase in drug overdoses and suicide attempts among inmates at the prison. The acting operations manager was also accused of changing rosters so as to have sex with a female prison officer, including once at the jail.[7]
In March 2018, The body of a male prison officer was found. "The man’s death is not being treated as suspicious".[8] "It is understood he took his own life, but his name and the circumstances surrounding his death have not yet been made public".[9]
Notable prisoners
- Leesha Gee[10] –
- Wendy Peirce[11] –
- Judy Moran[12] –
- Renate Mokbel[13] –
- Tania Herman[14] –
- Roberta Williams[15] –
- Vicki Roach[16] –
- Andrea Mohr[17][18][19] –
- Caroline Reed Robertson[20] –
References
- https://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/prisons/dame-phyllis-frost-centre
- "Prisons in Victoria: Prison Profile".
- McKenzie, Nick, "Behind the wire", The Age, 18 February 2008
- Darebin Libraries. "Fairlea Women's Prison – Yarra Bend (1856–1996)". Darebin Historical Encyclopaedia. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
- Moynihan, Stephen (16 September 2004). "Prison guard denies rape". The Age. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- "Vic: Procedures tighter after jail sex claims, prison chief says". Australian Associated Press. 12 December 2007.
- "Sex allegations rock women's jail". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- "Man's body found at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, Ravenhall". Herald Sun. 27 March 2018.
- "Staff receiving counselling after prison officer found dead at Victorian jail". News.com.au. 28 March 2018.
- Alford, Peter (14 February 2005). "Playing for time already served". The Australian.
- Buttler, Mark (15 December 2009). "Katie Peirce, daughter of Wendy Peirce and hitman Victor Peirce, found dead at home after suspected drug overdose". Herald Sun. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- Butler, Mark (15 December 2009). "Judy Moran angered by prison conditions". The Australian. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- "Failed Renate Mokbel appeal released". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
- "Korp's lover bashed in jail". The Age. 3 July 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- Moynihan, Stephen (19 April 2005). "Gandland soap opera plays in court". The Age. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- Arndt, Dinah (6 October 2009). "Prison's drug measures criticised". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 20 October 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- http://www.andreamohr.de/
- http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/2010/05/02/andrea-mohr-mein-jet-set-leben-koks/im-kokain-geschaeft.html
- "ISBN 9781740667043". Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- Flower, Wayne; Dennehy, Luke (25 August 2013). "Rachel Barber's parents shocked over killer Caroline Reed Robertson's chilling transformation". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 25 November 2017.