Simon Cartwright died in Silverwater prison while suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and chronic peptic ulcer disease. Prison guards punished him for unusual behavior by turning off his cell's water, joked about his pleas for help, and left him unobserved, leading to his preventable death. A coroner's inquiry blames the incident on chronic underfunding of mental health facilities and the dangers of imprisoning those with severe mental illness. The Cartwright family, who weren't informed of his imprisonment until after his death, is taking legal action against the NSW government and demanding urgent reforms.
Simon Cartwright, who died at Silverwater prison, was suffering schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and chronic peptic ulcer disease when he was arrested.Simon Cartwright, who died at Silverwater prison, was suffering schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and chronic peptic ulcer disease when he was arrested.
Cartwright was suffering schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and chronic peptic ulcer disease, a treatable condition, when he was arrested on relatively minor charges and held in the remand centre at the Silverwater prison complex in August 2021. The cell in which Cartwright was held was described by one expert as a setting of “mental illness torture” because it was lit constantly, even through the night, only had hard surfaces and appeared cold, loud and chaotic. He had only a gown, blanket and thin mattress.
At some points he appeared to be doubled over in pain. At other times he sat on the floor of his cell with his head in his hands. He received no medical attention or help. Had he been transferred to Long Bay on 3 September, as intended, staff at the hospital would likely have discovered the ulcer and treated him appropriately, the coroner found.Initially, this was done because Cartwright had left a tap on, causing the cell to flood. But the denial of water continued in the two days before his death. Guards used it as a tool of coercion and punishment, designed to force Cartwright to “behave”, the coroner wrote.
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