In 2000, an appeals court in Milan upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence to 26 years.[30] In 2000, Patrizia tried to commit suicide by hanging herself with a bed sheet, but she was found by prison guards.[31] In 2005, despite rules against prison pets, Patrizia's legal team convinced the prison to allow her pet ferret to live with her.[32] In October 2011, she became eligible for parole under a work-release program but refused, saying, "I've never worked in my life, and I'm certainly not going to start now".[33] With credit for good behavior, she was released in October 2016, after serving a prison sentence of 18 years.[6]