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Letters

First Time In Prison, 3000km From Family

By
Deanno

Deanno writes from a prison in QLD.

Matthew Ansley via Unsplash

I am currently serving a 6 year sentence with 2½ on the bottom. I’m currently awaiting an interstate transfer back home to Perth WA as I was extradited from Perth to Brisbane.

This is my first time in prison, and for the last 9 months of my sentence, I have been trying to get used to how prison is and it’s very hard, especially for someone like me with a brain injury and a few disabilities.

Trying to do my time is very difficult for me as I don’t have my family here and not being able to have visits from them or anyone is extremely depressing.

I just want to get back to my home state WA so I can do my time with my family support where I’m happy and have all my supports.

I feel lonely and sad a lot, I feel people don’t understand me and there isn’t much support for me in this prison. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells all the time just to survive.

Anyway when I get transferred back I will be so much happier. Apart from all that, I hope everyone in prison all over Australia has a great new year.

Peace :)

I am currently serving a 6 year sentence with 2½ on the bottom. I’m currently awaiting an interstate transfer back home to Perth WA as I was extradited from Perth to Brisbane.

This is my first time in prison, and for the last 9 months of my sentence, I have been trying to get used to how prison is and it’s very hard, especially for someone like me with a brain injury and a few disabilities.

Trying to do my time is very difficult for me as I don’t have my family here and not being able to have visits from them or anyone is extremely depressing.

I just want to get back to my home state WA so I can do my time with my family support where I’m happy and have all my supports.

I feel lonely and sad a lot, I feel people don’t understand me and there isn’t much support for me in this prison. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells all the time just to survive.

Anyway when I get transferred back I will be so much happier. Apart from all that, I hope everyone in prison all over Australia has a great new year.

Peace :)

This
letter
was originally printed in the
March 2026
edition of About Time.

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Welcome to About Time

About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

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