Friends of Camille Strickland-Murphy donate to prison where she once stayed

This Christmas, friends of Camille Strickland-Murphy, the St. John's woman who took her own life while in a federal prison, did Secret Santa a little differently.

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Instead of getting gifts for each other, the group of about 25 women decided to gather items for the Newfoundland and Labrador Correctional Centre for Women in Clarenville, where their friend had spent some time before her death.

"Our friend Camille Strickland-Murphy passed away in a prison earlier this year so (my friend)thought that would be a nice thing to do in Camille's name because she spent some time in the correctional centre in Clarenville years ago," Cara Tedstonetold CBC News.

Strickland-Murphy, who suffered from mental health issues,wasfound unresponsive in her cell in late July at the Nova Institution for Women in Truro, N.S.

She was 22 years-of-ageand had been serving a three-year sentence for armed robbery.

Reminder of who she was

After speaking with the co-ordinator at the women's prison, Strickland-Murphy's group of long-time friendsgatheredsome craft supplies, a treadmill and other exercise equipment.

"The fact that they were looking for exercise equipment was really relevant to Camille because she was really into sports and exercise so it would be a really nice thing to donate some gym items in her name and kind of remind people what she was all about," Tedstone said.

She said donating to the prison in Strickland-Murphy's name helped with the grieving process.

While the items were donated before Christmas, Tedstone said the group is still looking at getting more equipment, like an exercise bike and other bigger items.

In the coming years, Tedstone said she hopes to look into donating to the prison in Truro, where Stickland-Murphy died.

"It's one of those things where they are a correctional centre, a lot of people might look at that as a (place)they won't want to donate to, but we are aware of the circumstances of a lot of these women and the mental health struggles a lot of them go through."

Anyone interested in donating can do so here.