CHRISTMAS BEHIND BARS ERIN'S WORST DAY YET!

It's Erin Patterson's first Christmas since she was convicted of triple murder and, in her new home at the notorious Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, she will not be experiencing the creature comforts of previous, carefree Christmases.

- By Emma Levett

Far from being an occasion of joy, Patterson, 51, will spend the day alone at the maximum security women's prison in Melbourne, in the solitary confinement judged to be for her safety.

It means that, even on Christmas Day, Patterson will have little access to fresh air, will have her lunch delivered through a trap door, and next to zero opportunity to communicate with others.

She also won't be visited by family members because, like in all state public prisons, guests are not allowed at Dame Phyllis Frost on December 25.

Institutions explain this creates a sense of fairness as not all prisoners are able to receive visitors. But Louise Groot, prison chaplain and deputy chair of Crossroads Prison Ministries, believes it makes it harder. “Having that extra restriction [on Christmas Day] of having no interaction with their family, it’s very difficult for the women, especially being away from their children as well. And that adds another level of heartache,” Louise says.