Friday, August 14, 2009
The Bali Nine prisoner tells Alan Shadrake about her new job, as the 'jailhouse angel' keeping troubled Schapelle Corby alive.
When a desperate Schapelle Corby climbed an eight metre water tower near her cell block in Kerobokan Jail, prison guards turned to an unlikely saviour for their most famous prisoner.
Almost two years after Renae Lawrence and Schapelle publicly attacked each other, the pair have become increasingly close —to the point where Renae has been charged with taking care of a shattered Schapelle when she tries to hurt herself.
"It's not the first time I've had to go after her when she's doing something like that," Renae tells Woman's Day.
"She's tried to climb onto the roof of the cells and lodged herself inside a space in the ceiling of her cell. She thinks she can get out of the prison that way and it takes a lot of talking to bring her down."
Renae has been secretly caring for Schapelle for almost a year at the special request of prison authorities, who have appointed her head trustee.
"I'm the only one she listens to," says Renae. She has no doubt that Schapelle is seriously ill.
"Schapelle's definitely become unbalanced," she says. "I've seen her deteriorate week by week. She's not the Schapelle I used to know since we were banged together in here four years ago."
Renae says the Corby family have welcomed her support in caring for Schapelle, despite the two women's turbulent past. At first, the pair, both 32 and both serving 20 years for drug trafficking, were bitter enemies.
Their prison disputes first became public when Schapelle attacked Renae in her book My Story, calling her a "freak" and a "psychopathic lesbian" and claiming she lived in fear of being beaten up by her fellow Aussie.
For the full story see this week's Woman's Day, on sale August 17, 2009.
Your say:
Do you think Schapelle Corby deserves extra care because of her mental health? Leave your comments below.
Have some compassion Posted by: Jacqui, QLD, on 17/08/2009 9:55:39 AM
Of course she deserves extra care. She is a human being and she has not harmed anyone. After the evidence was burned, it could not be proven how the drugs got in her bag... imagine what a travesty this would be if she was innocent. From what I've been reading, her condition sounds quite serious. Not only are her family concerned, but it seems that other prisoners and their visitors are frightened by Schapelle's state. I personally believe she was not proven guilty, but that aside, the alleged crime is not worth rotting in prison for 20 years. That kind of punishment is fit for pedophiles and terrorists (both of which are sharing the same jail as Schapelle and get far lighter sentences!) Marijuana is a drug that nearly everyone has experimented with, including politicians. Why are people so self-righteous when judging Schapelle, when they have probably smoked it themselves?
Schapelle Corby Mental Health concerns Posted by: Kay Danes, Brisbane, on 17/08/2009 8:43:27 AM
Setting all other issues aside, I think any Australian prisoner detained in a foreign jail whose mental health is seriously deteriorating, and this and the condition can be substantiated through proper medical diagnosis, should be repatriated to an appropriate facility in Australia where their illness can be properly treated, and to enable the prisoner access to family, a familiar culture and language, and professional services to assist in their eventual reintegration to society. Kay Danes, International Humanitarian for the Foreign Prisoner Support Service and Author of Families Behind Bars Stories of Injustice, Endurance and Hope. .
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