A former prison psychologist has been reprimanded for professional misconduct after her flirtatious conversations with a maximum-security inmate came to light.
Details of Melanya Polata’s behaviour with a male inmate at an unnamed Queensland prison were revealed in a ruling by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) on Tuesday.
Judge Geraldine Dann, deputy chair of QCAT, said Ms Polata’s comments to the prisoner were “far below standard” in terms of how a psychologist should behave towards a prisoner, in the referral brought by the Psychology Board of Australia.
The psychologist told the inmate she “really missed talking to him” after being banned from speaking to him and fielding dozens of phone calls from the man after she stopped working at the prison.
She also lied to her supervisor about the fact that she would still visit the prisoner despite the ban.
Ms Polata worked in prison for almost eight months in 2019.
Judge Dann said Ms Polata “must pay careful attention to ethical guidelines for her practice if she were to resume her practice as a psychologist”.
It was also noted that Ms Polata had been unprofessional in her dealings with the inmate who, according to the ruling, had made “sexual advances” and that she had called Ms Polata “beautiful”.
Melanya Polata was found to have behaved inappropriately towards a prisoner she had met, written a letter to and called numerous times, against the wishes of her superior
Mrs. Polata was no longer allowed to have contact with the prisoner by her supervisor.
According to the ruling, the inmate’s medical history included self-harm, suicide attempts, violent and aggressive behavior, domestic and family violence, problematic substance abuse and personality disorders.
Mrs Polata was asked to have no further contact with the prisoner because he became ‘fixated’ on her.
“(The prisoner) had only requested visits from (Ms. Polata) and had displayed coercive and manipulative behavior in the past,” the decision said.
Nevertheless, shortly after the ban, Mrs. Polata visited the prisoner, which was apparently reported by a colleague.
When questioned by her boss, Ms. Polata said she had had no contact with the prisoner.
Three days later she admitted that she had seen the prisoner.
Ms Polata resigned a day later as a provisional psychologist for Queensland Corrective Services at the prison.
The prisoner called Ms. Polata 49 times on her cell phone from a prison phone between March and June 2020. The conversations are recorded.
In one of the conversations, the prisoner told Ms. Polata that he values their friendship, saying, “I value our friendship,” “I think about you all the time,” and “I miss you.”
He told her he had injured himself and repeatedly called her “beautiful.”
Mrs. Polata replied that she missed him too and invited him to call her whenever he needed.
She told the prisoner: ‘I told you I would be in your life forever’; ‘You know I’m married’; ‘Even as a, as a, as a best friend that I can be, I told you I’m there for you and I always will be’; ‘(we) have a very good relationship’.
She said she would miss talking to him very much and told him she would pick him up from jail as soon as he was released.
Mrs. Polata told the prisoner that she would remain in his life forever, despite her marriage, even as one of his best friends.
Ms Polata had been warned to stay away from the inmate who reportedly had a violent past and had previously displayed coercive behaviour
A cell search revealed that the prisoner had kept a letter from Mrs. Polata from the period when she worked in the prison.
“I want you to understand that upper management here has forbidden me from having any contact with you and I have had a hard time explaining to them this past week why I spent time with you in the first place…” she had written.
“I know I said I would help you deal with so many of these issues, and I promise I will.
“It just won’t be there. You have so much love and support around you. You are blessed. Don’t take them for granted.
“I will never turn you down. I would never say no to someone who reaches out to me and not only wants help, but wants to be a part of my life. And I promise.”
The judge found no evidence of a sexual relationship between the two.
Ms Polata completed her Bachelor of Psychological Science with honours from Central Queensland University before joining the prison service.
Her conduct was reported to the QCAT after the Psychology Board of Australia suspended her registration in May 2020, at which point she agreed not to practise psychology any more.
Her registration expired in November 2020 after the Council rejected her application.
The court ruled on Tuesday that Ms Polata had behaved in a manner that amounted to professional misconduct and reprimanded the former psychologist.
Judge Dann said Ms Polata had “now agreed” to the allegations in the disciplinary measure imposed by the Council, after initially “downplaying” her behaviour.
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