Fri Sep 20 08:05:46 UTC 2024: ## Family of Prisoner in Coma After Overdose Denounce Lack of Notification and Shackling
**Albany, Western Australia** – The family of a 33-year-old prisoner who is currently in a coma after a suspected drug overdose at Albany Regional Prison has raised serious concerns about the lack of prompt notification and the decision to shackle him in his hospital bed.
The man, who was serving a sentence for burglary, was flown to Rockingham Hospital in Perth by the Royal Flying Doctor Service on Monday after suffering the suspected overdose. His family, who were not informed until the next day, are demanding answers as to how the overdose occurred and why their loved one remains shackled despite being unconscious.
Mervyn Eades, the man’s uncle and former chair of the First Nations Death in Custody Watch Committee, said the family were only informed of the incident after arriving at the hospital. They later learned that the man had nearly died during the flight due to the effects of a synthetic substance he allegedly ingested in prison.
“It’s sickening that this illicit stuff can still get into the prisons,” said Mr. Eades. “There is no excuse for Corrective Services’ failure to promptly notify the family.”
The family is questioning the decision to keep the man shackled, with Mr. Eades describing it as “disturbing”. “He’s in a coma, he’s going nowhere, he said. He’s got chains around his legs, around his ankles.”
The man’s mother, Leanne Eades, expressed frustration over the lack of communication, saying she only learned of her son’s condition the morning after the suspected overdose. “I was really emotional,” she said. “I thought my son was in Albany Regional Prison but he was in ICU in Rockingham.”
The Department of Justice and Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia declined to comment on the incident, citing confidentiality. However, public documents state that next of kin should be notified of a medical emergency or transfer to a hospital. While superintendents have discretion to delay notification if the incident occurs at night, Mr. Eades is calling for immediate notification in all cases.
“What is needed to be done for them to take notice that next of kin and family?,” Mr. Eades asked. “And that’s all families – black, white and brown. [These people] don’t belong to the institutions, they belong to the families.”
The family has expressed their intention to pursue legal action regarding the lack of notification and are hoping for a change in policy to ensure that families are informed promptly in future medical emergencies involving prisoners.
First Piper 