Criminalising Women

ABC Four Corners.

00:00:14:19

FRAN: Okay... I've been to prison four times. I was in prison for drug dealing. The hardest thing about staying out of prison is dealing with the isolation, the judgements, the stigma.

00:00:45:22
I had the perfect life. I had two beautiful children, I had a husband that dotted. I had a nine to five job. We had a little house you know not far from the school. And I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world.

00:01:12:10
Things started to change my son passed away when he was 19. We were holding each other up from the death of our son. And then my husband was diagnosed with renal cancer. And he passed away and we buried him with my son. And it was actually one of my kid's friends, introduced me to ice, not longer after my husband passed away.

Inside I was just falling apart, I was an absolute mess. And the more I took ice , the more I wanted to take ice. I couldn't get enough of it you know. I just wanted to deaden any pain, any pain I could.

00:02:21:00
Friends would come over. We would all throw our money in and then I would get it and then we would divvy it all up, you know.

And in essence that made me a drug supplier. Yeah I was a drug supplier from that moment onwards.

 Yeah and then of course after that their friends, like my friends, told their friends and then their friends told other friends and other friends told other friends and before,

my house was like central station, it was absolutely ridiculous and I was getting more and more sick by the day. It was eating me from the inside out. Literally I ended up with sepsis in my blood.

00:03:07:17
PRODUCER: So those marks on your arms, what are they from?
FRAN: They were from the sepsis due to the ice yeah, they're the poison. My whole blood became toxic, yeah it was literally toxic, and I knew every day when I opened my eyes I would be wondering is today the day I am either going to die or I'm going to be arrested . I am either going to die or am I going to be arrested. You know and each day was, you know, I knew one of those would happen, you know and I was praying that it would just happen soon…

00:03:41:13
SUPER: Fran was convicted of drug supply and sentenced to three years in prison.

00:03:49:17
FRAN: When I came out I had no home, no money, a change of underwear but that was basically it. Where I am living now is not safe. I am absolutely desperate. So we're off today to speak to someone in in the Uniting Church about a home. Having a home for me and regardless of where it is, what it looks like, it could be the biggest dump in Sydney, but I wouldn't, it would just be, you , you can make it your home here.

00:04:38:09
GLORIA LARMAN, CEO, WOMEN'S JUSTICE NETWORK: Hi Fran so good to see you again. You are looking well. We will l go and see what the housing is all about hey. Long term housing is so important. It's the next thing big one.
KATHERINE WIGHT, TENANCY MANAGER, UNITING: Hi Fran.
FRAN: Hello Katherine how are you. Can I give you a hug? 
KATHERINE: So first of all I will show you around. So I'll show you a couple of rooms we've got here.

00:05:07:20

SUPER : Uniting is using this building for 18 months for short term accommodation for single women over 45.

00:05:14:20
FRAN: This is huge.
KATHERINE WIGHT: The sitting room. There's a kitchen here. We provide a microwave and a bar-fridge because we've got the kitchen downstairs and then there's a bathroom...
FRAN: Oh my God. This is beautiful.
GLORIA LARMAN: It's all you need isn't it?
FRAN: I know. I know. 
KATHERINE WIGHT: The units are quite small, so I don't know, do you have a pet? 
FRAN: I got a little dog. Yeah, he about
GLORIA LARMAN: Pocket size
KATHERINE: Awww. We've actually had other people who've requested dogs, and we've said it's not really suitable for pets, which is a shame because it is so small.

00:05:57:16

FRAN: I sort of got really excited,. I said I have a little dog you know. She said: "We can't have dogs here." I just thought oh no. 

00:06:10:10
KATHERINE WIGHT : Fran it would be lovely to be able to help her she's a person that is in housing need . It's really sad and you know you want to help everybody but you can't.
FRAN: Do you have any other sort of accommodation that you know?
GLORIA LARMAN, WOMEN'S JUSTICE NETWORK: It is really difficult for people like Fran to feel really safe you need housing, like everybody deserves somewhere they can put their head down every night and feel safe and for most people coming out of prison that doesn't happen.

Some women give up, they just can't cope with the fact that they've got nowhere to live, they don't wanna be on the street and be homeless and be unsafe.

00:06:57:22
KATHERINE WIGHT: So Fran I just thought I'd bring out an application for housing. 
FRAN: Okay 
KATHERINE: If you get this filled in we might be able to see what's available. Nothing might be available immediately but we can have a look. And the important thing is to get on the waiting list.
So she's the sort of person that we would like to help. I can't promise anything because you know, it's difficult, We might not have anything in the area that she wants to go to. But we can put her on our waiting list. There's not enough secure affordable housing available.

00:07:30:00
KATHERINE WIGHT: So fill this in. That's an order. 
FRAN: And I've been out eight and half months now so something's gotta start soon.
KATHERINE: There is a medical report you will need to fill in.
FRAN: I walked away thinking that nothing, nothing was going to come of it, you know. Someone might be able to come out of jail and benefit from Katherine's offering, but it wasn't going to be me.

 

 

00:08:10:21

BEKKI : I have been to prison five times. I have been to prison for break and enter, driving while disqualified, driving under the influence of ice and escape police custody. The hardest thing about coming out of prison is being homeless and the stigma.

 

00:08:50:18
ANNIE, BEKKI'S MUM: I love you. My little girl. I'm so excited.
BEKKI : Me too mama.
ANNIE: Hugs from everybody.

00:09:12:21

BEKKI: Yeah. Yipee
ANNIE: We got the house
BEKKI: Yeah mamma. That's so great.
ANNIE: Isn't that gorgeous. I'm so excited.
BEKKI: When can we move in?
ANNIE: Later in the week. Yep. So maybe sign the leases on Wednesday.

00:09:33:21

BEKKI: I've got some underwear, some papers, my release papers and $50 and that's it..that's it. That's all you come out with so not much. Anyway I'm out now. And Yer.
SUPER: Bekki served six months for resisting arrest, driving while unqualified and stealing petrol. 
BEKKI: Anyway I'm out now.
ANNIE: New beginnings.
BEKKI: New beginnings. Yes mama. I've been inside for six months now. So it's great to be out. It's fabulous. I'm like yoohoo. I'm ecstatic really. It's so good to have my mum. .Thank you mama. 
ANNIE: wouldn't miss it for the world
BEKKI: I know

 

 

00:10:17:01

PRODUCER: Anne how do you feel today?
ANNIE:I feel really excited but I guess there's a little bit of anxiousness there.
But its new beginnings for you and for us as a family so.
BEKKI: Every time I get out so mums been there and tried to get accommodation for me because . I couldn't go home to dad because I've robbed his house really. I've put them through a lot of stress for definitely the last four years really but before that really since I've been 16.

00:10:53:06
When I drink I have diminished capacity I make really poor choices so then I get drunk and go and hang out with people that are on ice and then I get on the ice and I don't sleep for four days and then I'm drunk again. Next thing I know I'm stealing cars and really dangerous behaviour.

00:11:14:24

ANNIE: But this is the last time I have to talk to you on the phone while you are in prison and wait for that...

The impact for myself for Bekki's prison terms has been the time, cost and heartache. But mostly it's been the heartache around it, having to talk about with your friends that I'm going to visit my daughter in prison today. It's a real shame thing and leaving her there, when you leave you know it was really hard.

00:11:50:16
BEKKI: I am never going back to prison. I've had enough. I've definitely grown from this experience and I am not coming back. I cannot go back. There's just no ifs, buts or maybes. I am just not going back.
SUPER: Two weeks later Bekki and her mum move in to a new home. 

00:12:21:01

ANNIE, BEKKI'S MUM: Bekki and I have just moved int a new place on the south coast of New South Wales, and I guess if I didn't think she'd turned over a new leaf and was ready to make some changes in life I wouldn't have done that.
When Bekki was using - because she was such an opportunist thief, I would hide things like my car keys, my wallet, my phone, laptop under my pillow whenever I went to bed.

00:12:55:08

BEKKI: I have had a very tense relationship with my mum m in the past. But I am rebuilding that.
Mum had given me more than a few chances and I have let her down more than a few times.

00:13:12:03
ANNIE: A few years ago now Bekki stole some precious and irreplaceable things from a house that I was looking after. For me, that was ..it really gutted me that particular time. She'd stolen lots of things before in the past, but that particular occasion it was Mother's Day, and we'd been out for a lovely lunch. But that night when I went off to work she came back to the house and took those things. And with it my trust, she stole the trust that other people had in me and that was really, really tough. I went into a bit of a spiral myself at that point.

00:13:52:03
BEKKI: I have done a lot of personal growth. My self esteem was shocking and I'm pretty good now. I was six when I was sexually abused. The effect that had on my life, oh it was like devastating. My dad wanted to believe me. My mum just flat out no did not believe me, which was really hard. And then my parents actually got divorced not long after that... I don't even know if the abuse affected me as much as not being believed. I went from a little happy girl...I started to compulsively eat. I blew up to a little fat kid. I just thought everyone loved me because they had to love me.

00:14:43:19

ANNIE: I feel a lot of regret and shame around that I didn't believe Bekki when she told me she was sexually abused as a young child. I had no reason to believe that could happen. I just didn't...I was very naive. I do wonder if we, as parents, had believed her earlier and acted on that, that maybe, just maybe it wouldn't have gone as badly as it has.

00:15:15:06
STEVE, BEKKI'S DAD: If I could change one thing in my life and hers, I would go back and fix that and make sure it never happened. If Bekki hadn't been sexually molested, I'm sure her life would have been better. She wouldn't have hung around with the people she did.

00:15:33:17
BEKKI:. I had such low self worth. I thought I was unlovable. I didn't really get to do all the things that 16 year olds did because of my involvement with a pretty violent relationship.

00:15:45:23
STEVE: I think Bekki was attracted to violent people to protect her because I'm not a violent person and obviously I didn't protect her.

00:15:54:14

BEKKI: I have 100 % used their guilt against them for all sorts of things, from justifying stealing their cars to justifying them giving me money. So when I would go to jail I would use that against them like "this is your fault."

00:16:17:21
STEVE: She's broken into my house at least 50 times. She's stolen, and to get into the house, she's broken windows, she's broken locks. She's gone through walls. We spent about ten grand on the ground floor to put security screens on the doors, on all windows and doors, We put a $5000 camera system in. We put lights to light up at night. It's just horrendous. You go cold at night when you hear a noise. It's just bad news all around.

00:16:53:12
BEKKI: This is the security screen that Dale put on.
STEVE: So that one is pretty much bullet proof.
BEKKI: Yer that one is not going anywhere.
STEVE:.  

00:17:15:17
BEKKI: So I've broken through interior walls of the house, so everyone in our family has got a key lock on their door because I had...
STEVE: A deadlock.
BEKKI: A deadlock, and a key lock, a deadlock, keylocks because I'd actually broken into everybody's rooms, I would pick the locks, but then also, I would cut through the plasterboard from one room into the other room. 

00:17:44:08
STEVE: It's a killer drug.
BEKKI: Oh my dada
STEVE: Oh Bek.
BEKKI: It's all better now. 
STEVE: Good. I will very happy with that

00:18:05:00
BEKKI: My sister was so over me. She refused to come to the jail the last couple of times I was in. She'd had a gutful and so she wrote me a letter and said "You know what Bekki? You are not the only person to be abused. You are not the only person who has had trauma. Yes, I feel for you and yes it sucks but you actually you need to get over it because you can't keep doing this. And I was like "Oh I really can't keep doing this anymore"  

00:18:44:10
Women's prisons are filled with stories of people like me. So people that have had trauma, abuse, really violent relationships and like I said to the girls actually this last time, I said: "You don't now we're actually been pretty lucky that we get to jail because a lot of the women don't even get here. A lot of women are killed through domestic violence, a lot of women are broken and are imprisoned in their own house. So for me it's really sad. It's actually very sad to think that we end up in prison after such hectic pasts. Yep.

00:19:46:18

DONNA: I have been to prison more than 30 times. I went to prison for aggravated assault on police officers, stealing cars, breaking and enters. The hardest thing for me to stay out of prison is being judged for my criminal history.

00:20:10:19

SUPER: Late December. A regional town north of Brisbane.

00:20:15:19

All my family have been to jail, my siblings, my mother, my step father. We've all been to prison. That's probably my earliest memories as a child is visiting my mom in prison and the people in prison like who I call my aunties now.
PRODUCER: Is there anyone in your family who hasn't been to prison.
DONNA: Yeah my baby sister.
Prison to me.. It just seems normal It just seems normal. It's the only thing I know in life.

00:20:45:21
PRODUCER: Is that why you kept going back in?
DONNA: That and plus I had nowhere to go probably.
SUPER: Indigenous women are 20 times more likely to go to prison than non-Indigenous women.

00:21:01:07
DEBBIE KILROY, SISTERS INSIDE: So Donna came into care as a little seven year old girl because her mum went into prison
There's a number of messages in Donna's story. I feel the biggest message is survival. Even though I know that sometimes Donna has thought she wasn't going to survive. But she survived the most horrific violence that a little girl and a woman can experience.

00:21:34:10
DONNA: I was sexually abused a number of times when I went into care. Since the age of maybe 13, 14, I've yeah lived on the streets. Sleeping rough on the streets. I got attacked a number of times. There would be times where yeah I'd find myself alone and asleep at a bus stop or sleeping somewhere where I thought no one would see me and someone stumbled over me. Yeah and being so small and looking so young maybe. Yeah, being attacked was, yeah, something that happened a few times growing up.

00:22:07:01
PRODUCER: And how has that impacted on you going to jail do you think?
DONNA: Yeah. Maybe, by the retaliation. So yeah, being violent is what I became. I used to be a really hater. I used to hate everyone, a lot of people.

00:22:33:14
DEBBIE KILROY: Hi darlin. How are you?
DONNA: Good thank you. How are you?
DEBBIE KILROY: I'm good. How's your new place? Show me. Show me. 
DONNA: Welcome.
DEBBIE KILROY: Look at this.
DONNA: Yeah. This is my new little place - verandah.
DEBBIE KILROY: All your photos..

00:22:53:16

DEBBIE KILROY: Donna now lives about an hour north out of Brisbane which is very new for her because she lived on the streets of Fortitude Valley in Brisbane city predominantly all her life.

00:23:09:05

DEBBIE: So how long have you been here now for?
DONNA: Since mid October now.
DEBBIE: Awesome. So proud of you. Are you feeling proud of you.
DONNA: Yer a little. I've come a long way I think…

It's pretty tough coming out of prison with no support. Debbie Kilroy has helped me stay on the straight and narrow, mentally. Just with the support, help and direction.

00:23:40:17
DEBBIE KILROY, SISTERS INSIDE: Donna's life is so similar to so many women's lives who are in prison.
We have a massive over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women in our prison systems across this country.

 We know that 74 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait women who are in prison today have been in prison before. 

00:24:04:00

DEBBIE: So you have finished your parole too? High five. Too easy. 
DONNA: You showed me how to live a life I think.
DEBBIE KILROY: A different life , darl. A life that you want to live yeah.
DONNA: A life worthing living.
DEBBIE: A life worth living. Yeah I know. Yeah I want you to live and be happy.
DONNA: Happy tears. 

00:24:37:14
DEBBIE KILROY, SISTERS INSIDE: What's been inspiring and heartfelt for me is that Donna has her first home. Yeah which is just beautiful .It's the first time she's ever had a home that she's felt safe in.
DEBBIE KILROY: This is your home. No one can take this off you. You know what I mean. You've got this. It is really special.
DONNA: Yeah. Yeah. I finally have something to lose now in my life.
DEBBIE: And that's scary hey?
DONNA: Yeah. Maybe.
DEBBIE KILROY: Exciting and scary.
DONNA: Yeah.
DEBBIE KILROY: Yeah

00:25:29:02
DEBBIE KILROY: With support, Donna can and is right now turning her life around.
DONNA: I was just wondering would you have any work going? 
SHOP KEEPER: At the moment no. Now do you want a docket.

00:25:48:11

DEBBIE KILROY: Donna's going to hit speed bumps. There's going to be ups and downs. There's no doubt about that, but I believe that Donna is a strong black woman and she is going to be okay.

00:26:08:15

SUPER: Mid December. NSW South Coast

00:26:12:00
BEKKI: Hello. My name is Bekki. How are you?
ERICA JONES: Good thank you. How can I help?
BEKKI: I really need to find a job, so I've decided to be proactive.
So have you guys been looking for anyone or are you looking for anyone?
ERICA JONES, BUTCHER: We are actually.
BEKKI: Okay cool. So I've worked in bakeries, I have never worked with meat and knives. I've worked at a bank, so I'm pretty good with numbers.
ERICA JONES: You got customer service skills?
BEKKI: I am great yup, great customer service skills.
ERICA JONES: That's half the battle really if you've got good customer skills.
BEKKI: Yeah
ERICA JONES: you're already 50 per cent of the way there.

00:26:44:10
BEKKI: So the thing is, with me, I've actually got a criminal history. I've just, I've been released from prison.
ERICA JONES: Okay.
BEKKI: So, I'm still clean, I haven't used in seven months. So for me this is about getting back on my feet. And that's my story. So if you would like to have a think about it that would be fabulous.
ERICA JONES: I'm more than happy to give you a trial.
BEKKI: Oh fabulous. Thanks Erica. Take care. See you it was nice to meet you. Bye.

 

 

00:27:25:21

BEKKI: I am having a trial at the butcher's today. I'll do fine. I'm okay with people.
ERIKA: Pop that in the window.
BEKKI: And what is this called?
ERIKA: Butterflied leg of lamb

00:27:39:16
BEKKI: Women coming out of prison do find it hard to find jobs, because a lot of people do police check but I think if you are upfront and honest about it first that people will give you a go.

00:27:50:09
ERICA: I mean we all do stupid things so I feel like everyone deserves a second chance.

She looks great, she's very friendly and to be honest I don't really care about people's history. I care about what they are going to do with us and in the future.

00:28:09:09
BEKKI: I feel wrapped about getting the job. So amazing. It 's just like there's a lot of weight lifted. My boss is amazing. Erica is fabulous. She has given me the chance to really have a new life.

00:28:48:05

MARY BOLAND: Fran's amazing because she survived and she survived with humour, and she survived with her humanity intact. She hasn't crawled into herself. She's a full person and she has survived years in jail. I've been Fran's mentor for two and half years. 

00:29:14:19
FRAN: My whole life is gonna change now and to do that I have had to cut ties with with everyone I know virtually, apart from my family. Everyone that I know I know longer associate with you know which is very lonely.

00:29:31:18
MARY BOLAND, MENTOR, WOMEN'S JUSTICE NETWORK: I've learnt heaps with Fran. She's taught me so much stuff. I can't believe how resourceful she is and she's funny. We get on well together. She won't go back to prison. I'm aware of saying that and people will think oh yeah yeah yeah yeah . She will not go back to prison. She's had enough. She has had enough.

00:30:00:04
FRAN: But I couldn't have done it without you Mary. You know that.
MARY: You could have done Liverpool Police Station without me.
FRAN: No (laughs) I know. I thought I was going to get locked up that day (laughs)
MARY: You weren't going to get locked up. And then you had that good experience with that sergeant.

00:30:17:24
FRAN: Mary. Mary's my angel, she's my knight in shining armour (laughs) If I didn't have Mary, I probably would have ended up back in jail. Mary's she taught me a completely different way of looking at things you know, which is probably the right way and the way normal people look at things (laughs) Not saying I'm not normal but I have been known to yeah un not look at things quite right maybe.. But yeah so she's taught me - she has taught me so much. Who would've thought an old girl like - see you can teach old - old girls new tricks. Yeah. (laughs)

00:31:16:07
SUPER: Fran is looking for work. 

00:31:23:00
MARY BOLLAND: Fran is desperate to get a job because getting a job means she can live like a human being. She can get some money. She can buy adequate food. She can go out. The odds are really stacked against her. She is almost 60 and getting a job when you're a woman and when you're 60 isn't easy, and then having a police record, it gets to the almost impossible stage.

00:31:57:10

FRAN: Hi how are you?
FRAN: No one wants to employ you when there's 100 other applicants that don't have criminal records. So why would they want to employ you? Sometimes I feel like I'm just beating my head against a brick wall.

00:32:23:17
MARY BOLLAND: Fran and I recently went to a charity that finds jobs, or attempts to find jobs for women coming out of prison.

When we arrived, she was a bit nervous but really enthusiastic.
CAREER OFFICER: I bet you are just dying to get to work.
FRAN: I am. I'm willing to do give 150 percent , you know.
CAREER OFFICER: Look there are employers out there we just have to find them. 
MEGAN ETHERIDGE, DRESS FOR SUCCESS: And that's what we're going to try to do. 
FRAN: I don't care what I do. I scrub toilets. You might want to turn off the cameras off but I've scrubbed faeces. I've scrubbed vomit. I've scrubbed toilets. I've scrubbed urine. I've scrubbed everything in there and I did it with a smile on my face . And I was paid $23 a week, for doing that. so yer I would certainly do it for $500.
CAREER OFFICER: I don't think there's any doubt in your sincerity or wish to get work.

00:33:31:17
MARY BOLAND: As the meeting progressed you could see her anxiety and tension rising.
MEGAN ETHERIDGE, DRESS FOR SUCCESS: It seems to me Fran that you're really experienced. You have a lot of skills and maybe some of these skill you don't even recognise you have.
FRAN: Possibly. PossIbly. Okay. So can I have a job next week?
MEGAN ETHERIDGE: I can't guarantee that.
CAREER OFFICER: Why don't we do this?
FRAN: I am really really keen. I need to work.
MEGAN: How long have you been looking for work.
FRAN: I have been out now for eight months.
MEGAN EHTERIDGE: Eight months. Okay. Let's work together.
FRAN: I need a job and I need a job fast. I willing to do absolutely anything. 

00:34:12:08

MARY BOLLAND, WOMEN'S JUSTICE NETWORK MENTOR: It was painful to watch and I felt her exhaustion watching her go through that and thinking don't get mad Fran. Don't get impetuous, just hang in there. In fact that's what a lot of mentoring is about is just saying just hang in there. 
MEGAN ETHERIDGE, DRESS FOR SUCCESS: Fran deserves a break, she really deserves a break. She's been to prison but she's paid the penalty.

00:34:55:16
SUPER: Bekki has been convicted of more than 30 driving offences. 

00:35:02:22
BEKKI: I'm not allowed to drive until 2042 so I will be almost 60 by the time I can get my licence back. My driving record is horrendous so I have lost my licence
about 11 times ..suspended for speeding, not wearing P plates, pretty radical stuff. When I was 18 to, how old am I now 31, until I was about 28 probably just horrendous driving record and then I got done driving under the influence.
PRODUCER: The influence of what?
BEKKI: Methamphetamines so I was picked up five times for that. 
Driving under the influence of ice is ..I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because you have got no feeling, you've got no consciousness of what you are actually doing so ..when you drive erratically, when you put people's lives in danger. And I'm definitely not proud of doing that and you don't care. The ice takes every feeling and numbs everything you got no responsibility, you're invincible, the rules don't apply to you. Yer it is just tough to think that I was so careless with life is tough. 

00:36:37:12

BEKKI: I have to go to court at the end of January.
DEAN STREATER, BEKKI'S LAWYER: Bekki's facing four charges so two relate to driving while disqualified, and two are called taking drive conveyance, which basically means that you're driving a stolen motor vehicle or you're a passenger in one. Since Bekki's been released in November she hasn't committed an more offences. The offences we are dealing with actually relate to before she was incarcerated the last time.
BEKKI:. So there is potential that I could go back to jail?
DEAN STREATER: There is Bekki. That's certainly a real possibility. You have been in jail on, I think five occasions you've told me so for very similar offences to what you've pleaded guilty for on this occasion so look there is a real risk.

Bekki knows going to prison would JUST be absolutely horrific for her. Sending her back to jail again is going to be another Band Aid, it's not going to help long-term. In fact, it's just going to make her career prospects and her chance of fitting into society so much less successful.

00:38:00:17
FRAN: Today is a big day. Katherine rang and she had a place that she would like to offer and would like to know if I'm interested in and my jaw just hit the ground.
FRAN: Today I am moving into my new home. It is a dream come true.
MARY: What a dream…
FRAN: Even Nugget can't wait. (laughs)

00:38:34:04
MARY BOLLAND: She wasn't exactly weeping with joy on the phone but she was laughing and laughing and I couldn't believe it either. I was almost weeping. It was just the greatest gift. It was wonderful. It meant a whole new life. Accommodation means that because without it you're stuffed really.

00:38:56:02
MARY: I just can't wait to see your new place.
FRAN: You are going to love it. You are going to love it. When I first saw it I thought the people from The Block had been in there and they had done it up. It . It looks beautiful. So lovely.
MARY : I'm dying to see it.

00:39:21:05
MARY: Oh Fran it's absolutely wonderful.
FRAN: Isn't it beautiful.
MARY: It really is.
FRAN: It's a whole new chapter in my life. It is absolutely. Only good things come from here , I've got such a good feeling. I've got such a good feeling, there's hope, it's given me hope. Yeah.

00:39:45:06
KATHERINE WIGHT, TENANCY MANAGER, UNITING: It is one of the wonderful things about doing this job to be able to help people like you. No it is a wonderful thing.
FRAN: Thank you so much. It's beautiful. It's more than I ever dared to dream.
KATHERINE: They are nice sized bedrooms
FRAN: They are good sized bedrooms.

00:39:59:05
FRAN: It was just everything that I could have dreamed of. Yeah it was absolutely everything.
MARY: It is fantastic.
FRAN: I don't like to show my emotions, but I just couldn't hold back the tears. It was just, it's been so long, so long, so long since I've felt I belong, that I belonged. Yeah if you can imagine that. Yeah.

00:40:56:01
BEKKI: So today is my big day at court. I am feeling fairly anxious. I don't know what the outcome is going to be…
So great news two of the four charges have been dropped. I am pleading guilty to one drive while disqualified and one stealing a motor vehicle. So these offences happened before I went to prison - so they happened early May. So for me to go back to prison would be devastating. I can't actually even imagine that, like I cannot even think about it. It's just not an option. I am no longer a menace to society.

00:41:51:19

BEKKI: Dada how are you feeling?
STEVE, BEKKI'S DAD: I'm a little anxious.
BEKKI: Are you? Why?
STEVE: Because I think it will all be good but there's always things that don't ... She's worked so hard this time to change her life. I don't think it'd do the state any favours for her to go back into incarceration because it is not going to help. It'd just break her soul. 

00:42:26:01
BEKKI: If I am just do all the right things and I am .. I be good and I stay away from people that are using, then I am praying with all my heart that I don't go back to prison.
DEAN STREETER, BEKKI'S LAWYER: Hi Steve. Lovely to see ya. Bekki welcome. Good to see ya. Come on in.

00:43:09:13
BEKKI: I received an intensive corrections order for 12 months. If I step out of line I will be going straight back to jail.
So I'm not going to jail. So no more jail.
STEVE: So no more problems for the family.
BEKKI: Dad no more problems for the family.
STEVE: No it will be good

00:43:44:05

END GRAPHIC : BEKKI IS NOW AN APPRENTICE BUTCHER.
FRAN AND DONNA ARE STILL LOOKING FOR WORK.