Schapelle Corby -- Remissions and Mental Health...

The latest in the Schapelle Corby saga has seen her climb a water tower near her cell block in an attempt to escape the prying eyes of her fellow inmates. Corby's mental woes have been well documented, as have her annual trips to the hospital in an effort to get her mental health issues sorted out. However, this latest drama suggests that things are getting worse rather than better.

Her family even suggest as much. Mercedes has said that Schapelle is seeing a psychiatrist and still taking medication. This is not so bad, but then Mercedes goes on to say that every day is difficult and that Schapelle does not look good.

It is hard to know whether to feel sorry for Schapelle. The sympathy or empathy debate really hinges a lot on whether you believe that she is guilty of the crime for which she has been convicted. If you do believe she is guilty, then it is likely you are in a camp which says, "if you do the crime, you do the time", and in any event, "prison is not supposed to be summer camp or a picnic". You might though also be in the camp that thinks she is guilty, but that 20 years for smuggling 4 kilos of wacky weed was too severe a sentence.

I think that I am in the latter camp.

There is some good news on the horizon for Schapelle, and I guess that good news is relative. It appears that prison authorities are recommending that she be granted a 4-month remission as part of the Indonesian Independence Day celebrations. It might seem much but one needs to be thankful for small mercies. Over time, these remissions build up and can end up knocking years of your original sentence.

I tend to feel if Schapelle can keep a low profile over the next couple of years, preferably with little or no publicity, then an Australian government approach to their Indonesian colleagues with respect to an early release for Schapelle might be viewed favourably. It might require an admission of guilt if it is to be in the form of a pardon. This might be preferable to Schapelle spending any more time in jail than is absolutely necessary. In her fragile mental state perhaps now is not the time to be standing on principle but rather working to get her home.

Schapelle Corby -- Transfer Refused

The Department of Law and Human Rights has officially rejected a Corby request to move to the Bangli Prison. The Bangli Prison is still in Bali but it is closer to the Australian Consulate in comparison to Kerobokan Prison. The other feature of the Corby request was that one of the reasons was her deteriorating mental health.

By all reports Corby's mental health is still precarious. This may or may not be true. Nevertheless, the manner in which the rejection is characterized is certainly not going to be of any assistance in improving the Corby depression.

The basic reason for the rejection is that she has not served a long enough portion of her sentence. It seems that if she had served 3/4 of her sentence then the request might have been considered favourably. This comment suggests two things; the Department is not going to provide any preferential treatment to Corby and that they expect her to do her sentence in Bali.

Suicides Surge In Japan

Keeping with the suicide theme of late.

The rate of suicides in Japan has increased this year by 2.9% with 33,093 suicides being recorded. It seems that the over 60's are fueling this surge as they are increasingly becoming disillusioned with their financial and health situations. This age group also makes up the largest chunk of the suicides at more than 33% of the total.

More than 20% of the Japanese population is over 65 and it would seem that the services provided for this group are clearly inadequate. Many are citing the failing health system and the lack of financial and economic support as reasons for the decision to end it all.

The method of choice is varied but authorities are reporting a significant surge in the use of hydrogen sulfide gas to commit suicide. It seems that the chemicals needed to mix up a batch of the deadly gas are widely available.

The Japanese have the 9th highest rate of suicide in the world. In an effort to reduce the number of suicides the government is about to initiate a USD 220 million program. The bulk of this money is going to be directed to mental health and depression initiatives.

Suicide is a sad thing. I am not a shrink and do not know how successful interventions can be but clearly something must be done to address the alarming surge in suicides. This is not only true for Japan but for all countries!