Orella
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Orella told the Royal Commission she’s the happiest she’s been in her entire life – she’s in prison. For the first time she’s feels safe and she’s not looking over her shoulder.
When Orella was a child her mother was never there. Shunted from place to place she was always scared. One of the people she stayed with molested her and her brothers and sisters. ‘My childhood was rough but somehow I made it through.’
Then she met a man who was nice to her. But not long into the relationship he started verbally abusing her – calling her horrible names and criticising how she dressed. ‘Then it was physical, picking up heavy objects and hitting me with it.’
Orella tried to tell her family but they told her it was her fault because she stayed with him. She remembers feeling suicidal but didn’t know where to go for help. ‘We never used to talk about mental health in my family, it was just a joke.’
With nowhere else to go Orella stayed with her partner.
‘The last thing he did to me is anally rape me with a glass bottle and I guess it was a trigger. I don’t remember lashing out on him. But everything came out in the trial.’
Orella was convicted of manslaughter.
Around this time she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression and started to receive treatment.
In the first few years she was often triggered – sometimes by prison officers. She remembered a time an officer called her names and made threats. He ran after her and grabbed her then told her to ‘get’ as if she were a dog. Orella said she was shaken and later cut herself.
‘Some of the officers don’t understand mental health, but they should know that they need not to bring their shit from outside into here.’
Orella said she has come a long way from the woman she used to be. She’s become more patient and has learnt to do breathing exercises when she’s triggered.
A community organisation has supported Orella and helped her understand domestic violence. She realises there was a lot going on under the surface for her mum. ‘Mum was never a good teacher to me, would only be intoxicated or on drugs but she had her own trauma.’
Orella has also completed a number of courses in prison – including first aid, literacy and numeracy and vocational training. When she is paroled she plans to get a flat, get a part-time job and complete more study. She has lots of nieces and nephews and would like to become a teacher’s aide.
‘I’ve found myself, my self-esteem … and my freedom behind bars.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.