Dame Phyllis Frost Centre

Dame Phyllis Frost Centre

Location	Deer Park, Victoria
Security class	Maximum Security
Capacity	260
Opened	15 August 1996
Managed by	Corrections Victoria

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.^[1] 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 260 prisoners.^[2]

Aside from HM Prison Tarrengower it is the only women's prison in Victoria. 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.^[3] It was the first privately designed, financed, built and operated prison in Victoria.^[1]

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.^[1]

On 24 October 2003, a male prison guard was charged with raping prisoner after a mentally ill prisoner 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 pled not guilty to the charges.^[4]

In December 2007, a Department of Justice 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.^[5]

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 changed rosters in order to have sex with a female prison officer, including once at the jail.^[6]

Notable past and present prisoners

• Chika Honda^[7]
• Wendy Peirce^[8]
• Judy Moran^[9]
• Renate Mokbel^[10]
• Tania Herman^[11]
• Roberta Williams^[12]
• Vicki Roach^[13]
• Andrea Mohr ^[14][15][16]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Prisons in Victoria: Prison Profile". http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/DOJ+Internet/Home/Prisons/Prisons+in+Victoria/JUSTICE+-+Prison+Profiles+-+Dame+Phyllis+Frost+Centre. 
2. ^ McKenzie, Nick, "Behind the wire", The Age, 18 February 2008
3. ^ Darebin Libraries. "Fairlea Women’s Prison – Yarra Bend (1856–1996)". Darebin Historical Encyclopaedia. http://dhe.darebin-libraries.vic.gov.au/encyclopedia.asp?id=436. Retrieved 2009-05-16. 
4. ^ Moynihan, Stephen (16 September 2004). "Prison guard denies rape". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/15/1095221665819.html. Retrieved 16 December 2009. 
5. ^ "Vic: Procedures tighter after jail sex claims, prison chief says". Australian Associated Press. 12 December 2007. 
6. ^ "Sex allegations rock women's jail". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 November 2009. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/sex-drugs-allegations-rock-womens-jail-20091117-iijn.html. Retrieved 16 December 2009. 
7. ^ Alford, Peter (14 February 2005). "Playing for time already served". The Australian. 
8. ^ 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. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/katie-peirce-daughter-of-hitman-victor-peirce-found-dead-at-home-of-suspected-drug-overdose/story-e6frf7kx-1225810505690. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
9. ^ Butler, Mark (15 December 2009). "Judy Moran angered by prison conditions". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/judy-moran-angered-by-prison-conditions/story-e6frg6of-1225791157078. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
10. ^ "Failed Renate Mokbel appeal released". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 September 2007. http://www.smh.com.au/news/NATIONAL/Failed-Renate-Mokbel-appeal-released/2007/09/14/1189276977821.html. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
11. ^ "Korp's lover bashed in jail". The Age. 3 July 2005. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/korps-lover-bashed-in-jail/2005/07/03/1120329311341.html. Retrieved 16 December 2009. 
12. ^ Moynihan, Stephen (19 April 2005). "Gandland soap opera plays in court". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Gangland-soap-opera-plays-in-court/2005/04/18/1113676702206.html. Retrieved 16 December 2009. 
13. ^ Arndt, Dinah (6 October 2009). "Prison's drug measures criticised". The Advocate. http://www.the-advocate.com.au/news/local/news/general/prisons-drug-measures-criticised/1640907.aspx. Retrieved 16 December 2009. 
14. ^ http://www.andreamohr.de/
15. ^ http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/2010/05/02/andrea-mohr-mein-jet-set-leben-koks/im-kokain-geschaeft.html
16. ^ http://www.hardiegrant.com.au/Books/Books/Book.aspx?isbn=9781740667043

External links

• Prisons in Victoria: Prison Profile

Coordinates: 37°46′57″S 144°44′32″E / 37.7825°S 144.74222°E / -37.7825; 144.74222