Tucker
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.
Tucker is in his 60s. He is in prison, where he says he is treated with neglect and his health care is disregarded.
Tucker requires a wheelchair for transit more than 20 metres. He also has anal fistula, a painful condition that can result in prolonged discomfort – exacerbated if seated for long periods.
Tucker told the Royal Commission that because of his disability and the fistula, he spends the majority of his time in his cell and is unable to work.
‘[I] spend most of my time bedridden or immobile like [an] elder. My day-to-day life is virtually my cell!’ he said. ‘[I] have always been very active but now I am drowning!’
Over the last year Tucker said he repeatedly reached out to government agencies for assistance. He also approached the ombudsman multiple times.
One day, as a result of the pain Tucker was experiencing, he commented that ‘life was not worth living’. He followed that up by saying he ‘was definitely not suicidal’. Nonetheless, he was ‘dumped into a special area’ and spent three days in solitary confinement.
Recently, Tucker was taken to the hospital. He assumed it was for an operation to remove fistula stitches. He was surprised to end up undergoing eye surgery, ‘more than a year after [his] expected notified time’.
Tucker acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of the health care industry to process patients as efficiently as it previously did, but it’s ‘not the main problem’.
‘Simple case management would be a good idea,’ he said.
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.