Prison staff raised concerns over inmate before death
In the month leading up to her death, Heather Calgaret boasted if she wanted to find and take drugs in prison, she could.
Her mental health was declining following news her application for parole had been denied, and she experienced anxiety over her partner being released from prison and chances he could relapse, an inquest has been told.
Her one glimmer of hope was to be better for her four children, who she feared would become wards of the state if she didn't get her life back together.
"My kids need me before it's too late," she told a prison officer in the lead-up to her parole application.
Ms Calgaret died after being denied parole and was found in a critical condition at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre prison in November 2021 by her sister Suzzane.
The inquest into the proud Yamatji, Noongar, Wongi and Pitjantjatjara woman's death continued on Tuesday in Melbourne.
Ms Calgaret was eligible for parole for almost a year by the time she died.
But her bid for freedom had been denied one month before her death due to the lack of suitable accommodation.
Ms Calgaret was categorised as a serious violent offender after pleading guilty to charges of armed robbery and threatening to inflict serious injury in relation to an incident at a supermarket in February 2019.
The inquest will examine Victoria's parole system for the first time since the state toughened laws.
It will also investigate Ms Calgaret's treatment in prison, where she was given the opioid medicine buprenorphine the day before she was found unconscious.
Buprenorphine is prescribed for treating people with an opioid drug dependence.
Her case manager and prison officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she and other prison staff had raised concerns about Ms Calgaret in the month leading up to her death.
Her mood was low and she had revealed she was feeling like she wanted to take drugs again, sparking a referral for urgent care.
"She said that she could find drugs whenever she wanted to and could take it if she wanted to," the prison officer said.
"She'd never been that blunt with me before, so I was very concerned about it."
The prison officer said Ms Calgaret reported not feeling well on the afternoon before she collapsed and passed away.
Ms Calgaret had some teeth removed earlier that day as well as her first dose of Suboxone (a buprenorphine brand).
"She looked exhausted. She looked like she was sore in her mouth ... but not sick enough for me to call a code," the prison officer told the inquest.
The prisoner's death severely impacted other people in the unit, she said.
"They were devastated. Heather was such a big personality and so well liked, and probably a bit of a leader in her group."
Former inmate Tammy Innes described Ms Calgaret as a "loveable mother hen" and questioned why Ms Calgaret would be prescribed Suboxone when she wasn't a heavy opioid user.
She did, however, witness Ms Calgaret using "miniscule" doses of unprescribed Suboxone oral strips in the month leading up to her first prescribed injection.
"I think she liked the effects of it," Ms Innes said.
She said Ms Calgaret thought the medication would help her stay off drugs when she was finally paroled.
"She wanted to be drug free and there for her kids," Ms Innes said.
On the night before she was found, Ms Innes said her bunkmate displayed symptoms of overdose and believed repeated calls made to medical staff went unanswered.
The inquest, before Coroner Sarah Gebert, is set to run for four weeks.
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