Renae, a member of the so-called Bali Nine, called the prison home for eight years, from 2005, when she was convicted of heroin trafficking, to November 2013 when she was relocated to another Indonesian facility.
The Weekly’s news editor Bryce Corbett travelled to Kerobokan to interview Renae last year.
During their hour-long meeting, Renae detailed the fear, anger and boredom that dog the lives of all of the prison’s inmates.
The threat of physical violence is ever-present, and on one occasion, Renae was beaten so badly she could barely walk.
“One of the old bosses of the jail came to see who was making a problem,” Renae says. “And I just stood up, drunk, and said: ‘I am’. And he punched me in the face. So I punched him back. So they tied me up and they just stamped on my head.
“They tied me up and handcuffed me and basically just stomped on me. For the next week or so they wouldn’t let me go to the visiting area, they wouldn’t let me meet with the consular officials – because I had bruises all over me, I could barely walk.
“That’s never been reported before. That guard is no longer in the prison.”
But Renae quickly found a prisoner’s own thoughts could be a much worse tormentor than a violent guard.
“Sometimes you think about what life you did have and how fast it can be taken away from you because of your own stupidity,” she says.
“I think because I have a job in here I don’t have much time to feel sorry for myself. There’s no point feeling sorry for myself. I would only beat the shit out myself for being so stupid. I mean, I can understand why some people get depressed.”
Despite the difficulties of life in prison, Renae is scared of what will happen when she is released.
“It’s hard to explain, but I have become adapted to jail life,” she says. “I mean, I’ll probably walk out the door the day they set me free and be hit by a car.
“Who is going to give Renae Lawrence a job? What am I supposed to do when people recognise me and don’t want anything to do with me?”
