It’s Erin Patterson’s first Christmas since she was convicted of triple murder and, in her new home at the notorious Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, she will not be experiencing the creature comforts of previous, carefree Christmases.
Far from being an occasion of joy, Patterson, 51, will spend the day alone at the maximum security women’s prison in Melbourne, in the solitary confinement judged to be for her safety.
It means that, even on Christmas Day, Patterson will have little access to fresh air, will have her lunch delivered through a trap door, and next to zero opportunity to communicate with others.
Will Erin Patterson visit with family in prison on Christmas Day?
Patterson won’t be visited by family members because, like in all state public prisons, guests are not allowed at Dame Phyllis Frost on December 25.
Institutions explain this creates a sense of fairness as not all prisoners are able to receive visitors. But Louise Groot, prison chaplain and deputy chair of Crossroads Prison Ministries, believes it makes it harder.
“Having that extra restriction [on Christmas Day] of having no interaction with their family, it’s very difficult for the women, especially being away from their children as well,” Louise says.
“And that adds another level of heartache.”
What will Erin Patterson eat on Christmas Day in prison?
There will be no comfort in a delicious Christmas lunch, with the prison fare a far cry from the elaborate homemade beef Wellington that Patterson fatally poisoned her dinner guests with in July 2023.
Dressed in prison-issued clothing, she will cut a lonely figure as she dines on a modest plate of ham and chicken in her cell.
The meal will also include gravy and roasted vegetables but there will be no prawns, as seafood is considered too “fancy” by jail authorities for prisoners.
Patterson can have cake or plum pudding with custard for dessert, and dinner will be cold meat and salad.
What does life in prison look like for Erin Patterson?
Much has been made of Patterson’s reported access to a hair straightener, crochet materials, a TV, computer, books and a fan.
The implication is she’s on a good deal in prison, but former inmates suggest the opposite, and instead talk of the “inhumane conditions” Patterson is likely to be facing.
Ashleigh Chapman spent four years behind bars at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.
She says there were numerous days when prison-wide lockdowns meant she’d spend 24 hours alone in her tiny cell, pacing the seven steps it took to get to one end and then pacing back.
For many inmates, Chapman says, the monotony and isolation leads to self-harm and suicide attempts.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety tells New Idea, “Lockdowns are sometimes needed to keep staff, prisoners and the prison secure.
“During a lockdown, prisoners can still access meals, healthcare, rehabilitation programs and legal services.”
Has Erin Patterson appealed her conviction?
On November 3, Patterson formally lodged documents to appeal her conviction, in the hopes she will be a free woman in time for Christmas.
She claimed there was a “substantial miscarriage of justice” during her trial.
The documents, released by the Supreme Court of Victoria, said the prosecution “changed its case” by implying during its closing address that there was motive for murder.
This despite saying there was no such evidence during the opening address.
The Court of Appeal has accepted the documents, though it hasn’t granted Patterson leave to appeal.
For now, she remains in solitary in the Security Protection Area.
It’s clearly not an environment anyone would want to spend a single day in, let alone a time as special as Christmas.
