Campaigners have urged Victorian prison authorities to end what they describe as the “inhumane” isolation of Erin Patterson, arguing that the convicted mushroom killer’s treatment amounts to torture.
Justice Action, a non-profit organisation that advocates for the rights of people in custody, has written to Corrections Victoria Commissioner Larissa Strong seeking an end to Patterson’s solitary confinement and asking that she be given access to a trained peer mentor.
Patterson, 51, has spent much of the past three years in the restrictive Gordon Unit at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum-security women’s prison near Melbourne. She has been kept apart from other prisoners because of the risk posed by her notoriety and the potential for attacks.
Justice Action co-ordinator Brett Collins said the organisation had proposed a peer-support arrangement that would not impose additional costs on the state.
“There is no excuse for torture when a human response is available,” he said.
The group argues that Patterson’s conditions breach the United Nations’ Mandela Rules, which state that prisoners should not be held in solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days except in tightly defined circumstances.
Justice Action says Patterson has spent 794 days in comparable conditions. Mr Collins warned that prolonged isolation could contribute to severe anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, self-harm and an increased risk of suicide.
Erin Patterson’s prison conditions reviewed monthly
Corrections Victoria has previously said Patterson is held in the 20-bed management unit because of the danger she may face from other prisoners. Her placement is reviewed each month.
During Patterson’s appeal hearing last month, prosecutors disputed the description of her confinement as solitary, telling the Court of Appeal that the characterisation did not accurately reflect the evidence before the court.
The appeal judges were told Patterson was nevertheless likely to remain in the Gordon Unit for the foreseeable future. Justice Stephen McLeish said her notoriety was likely to endure for “a long, long time”.
Patterson lives in a cell measuring about 4m by 2m, with access to a small fenced courtyard. She is entitled to at least one hour outside her cell each day and has no contact with other prisoners.
Meals and medication are passed through a hatch in the door. If she is taken to facilities such as the library or leisure centre, two prison officers are required to escort her.
Her cell contains a television, books, a fan, a hair straightener, wool and crochet equipment, as well as blankets she has made. Patterson has reportedly told her lawyer that she is often kept awake by shouting and screaming from other prisoners.
Her former barrister, Colin Mandy SC, argued before sentencing that isolation was likely to continue throughout her imprisonment because of the threat from other inmates.
“Those are very deprived circumstances,” he told the court.
Justice Christopher Beale took the expected hardship of Patterson’s imprisonment into account when imposing a non-parole period of 33 years. The judge sentenced her to life in prison in September 2025 after she was convicted of murdering three people and attempting to murder a fourth.
Her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson, died after eating a beef Wellington prepared at Patterson’s home in Leongatha, Victoria, on 29 July 2023.
Mrs Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived after becoming critically ill and spending more than a month in hospital.
Prosecutors argued at trial that Patterson deliberately used death cap mushrooms in the meal with the intention of killing or seriously injuring her guests. She maintained that the poisoning was a tragic accident and continues to deny the allegations.
Her conviction appeal and a separate challenge by Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions against the 33-year minimum term were heard by the Court of Appeal in August. The court has reserved its decision.
Prosecutor Brendan Kissane KC argued that Patterson should never be released, saying the seriousness of the offending justified a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Patterson’s lawyers are seeking to overturn her convictions.
