What life will be like in prison for George Pell as he faces jail for child sex crimes
George Pell’s stunning fall from grace hit home hard when he spent his first evening behind bars on Wednesday night, swapping marble staircases and gilded ornaments for concrete floors and fixed stainless steel fittings. There’ll be no banquets or expensive wine, only basic prison food.
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George Pell’s stunning fall from grace hit home hard when he spent his first night in prison on Wednesday.
His new life will stand in stark contrast to the opulence of the Vatican, where as one of the Pope’s top men he would have lived a blessed life.
He’ll swap marble staircases and gilded ornaments for concrete floors and fixed stainless steel fittings. There’ll be no banquets or expensive wine, only basic prison food.
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And rather than rubbing shoulders with the Pope and world leaders, Pell will call the likes of Bourke St mass killer James Gargasoulas and Eurydice Dixon’s murderer, Jaymes Todd, his neighbours.
How long Pell must remain behind bars is not yet known, with his sentence to be handed down on March 13.
But a jail term is likely to be significant. County Court chief judge Peter Kidd has made it clear that for Pell’s crimes the only acceptable punishment is prison.
The chief judge had wanted to remand Pell immediately after December’s guilty verdicts, but bailed him so he could have a double knee replacement over Christmas — an operation that had been booked for some time.
For much of the trial Pell had barely been able to walk, hobbling on a crutch.
A heat pack to dull the pain was on standby. Few such comforts will be available in prison.
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Where he will spend most of his time behind bars is unclear, but as a new prisoner he must enter the Melbourne Assessment Prison on Spencer St, which can cater for more than 300 prisoners.
There he will be strip-searched, subjected to a physically invasive examination, and put in a jumpsuit.
Because of his high profile, prison sources say he will likely then be placed in isolation for 23 hours a day, to protect him from other inmates.
Sources say that, at least outwardly, Pell is mentally prepared for prison.
They say while he is nervous, he has prepared himself for what’s in store.
But jail sources believe he could be a target behind bars. It is understood hatred over the church’s handling of abuse runs deep in prison.
Many inmates, themselves victims of abuse, could seek to make Pell a scapegoat. They say prison guards will have to be on high alert to ensure his safety.
A prison source said: “Someone like Pell, convicted of these offences, would be in constant grave danger of violent offenders trying to make a name for themselves inside.
“So he will be given the strictest of protection.”
His cell, designed to be suicide-proof, would be marked with an X so he cannot be identified.
From his cell, he would likely walk the same route daily, under guard, to a small isolated high-walled yard topped with razor wire, where he will have an hour of exercise.
“The exercise yard is about the size of a bedroom in your average house — it’s nothing flash,” the source said.
Pell’s cash flow would be reduced to $140 a month, available to spend at the canteen on items such as soft drinks and on monitored phone calls. He would be expected to buy his own shampoo, soap, tea and coffee.
For the uninitiated, the Melbourne Assessment Prison is, by all accounts, a very intimidating environment.
A source said: “We have the Acute Assessment Unit, which is a 15-bed psychiatric facility, but there are so many mad people in here and demand for those beds is huge.
“So there are a lot of people who should be in there, in cells, and he’ll hear a lot of screaming and shouting through the night.”
The source added: “Considering his life in the Vatican, he’s going to hit the wall pretty hard in here.
“He’ll have to get used to being told what to do, compared to having things done for him in the Vatican.”
Pell will be permitted limited visitors, and a select number of people on a call list.
Breakfast is at 8am, lunch at 11.30am and dinner at 3.30pm; meals of fish, pork, and beef are on rotation. He’ll have a shower in his room and access to books, legal materials and a TV.
If visited, Pell would be subjected to strip searches before and after each visit.
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Some priests have expressed concern about visiting him. Others say they will do so despite fears they will forever be tarnished because of their support for him.
Pell’s early support of notorious paedophile Gerald Ridsdale has plagued his career. The old housemates, who lived together in Ballarat in the 1970s, could meet once again if Pell is moved to a minimum security protection jail.
Langi Kal Kal’s inmates, such as Ridsdale, are almost all sex offenders.
Inmates there live together with other low-risk offenders, and share a pool, a tennis court and have better food than inmates in high-security jails.
They share a communal kitchen, where they are required to cook for themselves, a living room, bathrooms and a laundry.
Prison sources say it is likely Pell could spend time at Port Phillip Prison, where he would be close to medical facilities.
“Because of his age, and health, that would make sense,” one prison guard said.
“But it’s anyone’s guess at the moment.”
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