A journey through the 'belly of the beast' - Part 2

Woods’ premonition not only happened as he predicted but it occurred inside the seemingly impregnable 5KA high protection cell-block inside the killing fields of SDLCC.

Another bizarre twist to Wood’s death occurred five days after his death when Ms Woods opened a letter dated October 30, 1997, from the Brisbane North Community Corrections office. The letter stated that Woods had been released on parole on October 28, 1997, but had not reported to parole officers and was ordered to do so immediately. Woods had died in SDLCC on October 26 – two days before he was due to be released.

“I don’t know whether Wayne was murdered or committed suicide or was pushed into committing suicide,” Debra Woods told Paul Wilson, “but a 28-year-old man shouldn’t have to die just because he is sent to prison.”

Prison deaths can be classified as natural or unnatural. An unnatural death can be categorised as murder, suicide or drug overdose but the ability to make jail murders look like suicide or drug overdoses has continued to dupe investigators. Drug overdoses have become one of the official causes of death inside prison but “hotshots” (the deliberate substitution of high-grade heroin to induce the overdose) are nearly impossible to detect.

Another murder technique unique to Queensland correctional facilities is the “sleeper hold” which can render a person unconscious after pressure is applied to the carotid artery halting the blood supply to the brain.

The “sleeper hold” - a legacy that resulted from practices employed by guards to control unruly children in Queensland juvenile institutions - flowed on to the adult incarceration process with the steady influx of graduating juvenile offenders. The “sleeper hold” can render victims helpless before they are strung up to give the appearance of suicide by hanging.

Lee Picton, 26, had served 10 months of a 4-year sentence when he was transferred into the killing fields of B Block at SDLCC during 1999. A couple of months later he was carried out in a body-bag. His murder remains unsolved.

Here is an extract from personal diary notes written at the time of Picton’s death inside B Block:

June 14, 1999 and the stretcher went up the Spine of B Block again. The smell of death accompanies it. Word filtered down and by lock-up and we all knew Lee Picton was dead. They found him laying on the floor of the B6 shithouse. There is an air of expectancy. An urgency. This place is like a morgue. Everyone wants to get away from it. Back to the solitude and safety of their own cells. Then they came in and locked us away. At 2.45am the noise of the screws unlocking and slamming the grates outside the cells in B6 woke me from a deep sleep. The screws were searching for weapons or evidence. So much for the crime scene protocol. They rumbled around like a herd of elephants playing Sherlock Holmes.

And then the collective punishments began.

All prisoners in B6 were placed on Section 39. One set of clothes. Only bare essentials. Even Jake Smith who came out of DU on Friday June 18 and returned to B6 underwent same punishment regime. He wasn’t even in the Unit when Picton was killed. Collective punishments were utilised to try and break the code of silence.

The Squad came into our Unit decked out in their Ninja Turtle suits expecting trouble as they began strip-searches and cell ramps. The result of another unnatural death in B Block.