
Dear Writers,
My name is Ruby. I am a subscriber of About Time on the south coast of NSW. I do not have any lived experience of incarceration, nor do I personally know anyone who has.
I want to thank you for writing to the paper. Your stories are important, and they help people like me understand how fundamentally flawed and archaic the prison system is.
Kelly (Issue 4), your article taught me so much about working full-time in prison, and I felt rage at every word I read. I read your article aloud to my best friend. We spoke about it for a long time. Henry (Issue 3) and Dave (Issue 2), I also read her your articles. She’s an art therapist. ‘This is the power of art and music!’ we cheered. Chris (Issue 4), Happy Birthday brother. You are a beautiful writer, please keep writing. Shea (Issue 4), your strength comes through in your vulnerability, and I hope you write again.
I will not pretend to understand what it is like on the inside, but reading your stories has been profoundly helpful in building empathy and understanding, not only in my life, but in the lives of those around me. I know I am not the only reader who feels this way. Thank you, all of you, for writing. Every issue I am left sitting here thinking, what can I do? How can I help? How can I put pressure in the right places to change things?
Do you have access to many books on the inside? I would love to learn more about prison libraries.
Thank you for your vulnerability, I can’t wait for the next issue.
Ruby
Dear Writers,
My name is Ruby. I am a subscriber of About Time on the south coast of NSW. I do not have any lived experience of incarceration, nor do I personally know anyone who has.
I want to thank you for writing to the paper. Your stories are important, and they help people like me understand how fundamentally flawed and archaic the prison system is.
Kelly (Issue 4), your article taught me so much about working full-time in prison, and I felt rage at every word I read. I read your article aloud to my best friend. We spoke about it for a long time. Henry (Issue 3) and Dave (Issue 2), I also read her your articles. She’s an art therapist. ‘This is the power of art and music!’ we cheered. Chris (Issue 4), Happy Birthday brother. You are a beautiful writer, please keep writing. Shea (Issue 4), your strength comes through in your vulnerability, and I hope you write again.
I will not pretend to understand what it is like on the inside, but reading your stories has been profoundly helpful in building empathy and understanding, not only in my life, but in the lives of those around me. I know I am not the only reader who feels this way. Thank you, all of you, for writing. Every issue I am left sitting here thinking, what can I do? How can I help? How can I put pressure in the right places to change things?
Do you have access to many books on the inside? I would love to learn more about prison libraries.
Thank you for your vulnerability, I can’t wait for the next issue.
Ruby

Your contributions are the centerpiece of the paper. If you would like to contribute to our Letters section, please send your letters to the below postal address:
Or via email:
On 1 November 2025, QCS introduced a new pricing model: 20 cents per minute for all calls, mobile or local. A call that once cost 30 cents for 15 minutes now costs $3 – a ten-times increase.
I have been incarcerated for 22 months of a four-year sentence in Queensland jails. This poem is about my own situation.
Reading other prisoner’s stories inspired me to keep my head up and keep going now four months in, thank you all who share your stories and words of wisdom.
I moved units about a month ago and we feed some stray cats here. One even let me pat her last night! It's been over a year since I've patted an animal, so you can imagine how excited I was!
Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to pay directly into our bank account to avoid the processing fee, please contact donate@abouttime.org.au. ABN 67 667 331 106.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.
Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.
Leave a Comment
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.