ISSUE NO. 25
August 2026
Donate Here

Letters

‘I Know I Can Change’

By
Maude

Maude writes from a prison in WA.

Boom Gate Gallery – 'One Dream' by Andrew, $300, #5097, 60cm x 75cm, acrylic on canvas

Dear About Time,

My name is Maude. I am a young Jabbir Jabbir woman – I was born in Broome, Western Australia. I am 29. I was raised by my mother. I knew about my father but he was never there for me and I don’t blame him because he had other kids to raise.

I went to school at Broome Primary School, then went to school in Perth at Belmont City College and then Clontarf Aboriginal College. After school I got on meth, that’s when my life turned upside down I started to get in trouble with the law.

In 2019 I committed a crime of escape lawful custody and criminal damage by fire. I was sentenced to 5 years.

While I was incarcerated I did a lot of education and programs to better my life. But having a criminal record makes it hard to get help and to change.

I am currently back in prison on a charge I did not commit, but I have applied for rehab. All I want to do is to be a mother, stop using meth and stop committing crime. I know I can change I just need support to help point me in the right direction.

I thank the prison staff from Bandyup, West Kimberley and Broome Regional Prison on my journey to change, their support got me through my tough times.

Dear About Time,

My name is Maude. I am a young Jabbir Jabbir woman – I was born in Broome, Western Australia. I am 29. I was raised by my mother. I knew about my father but he was never there for me and I don’t blame him because he had other kids to raise.

I went to school at Broome Primary School, then went to school in Perth at Belmont City College and then Clontarf Aboriginal College. After school I got on meth, that’s when my life turned upside down I started to get in trouble with the law.

In 2019 I committed a crime of escape lawful custody and criminal damage by fire. I was sentenced to 5 years.

While I was incarcerated I did a lot of education and programs to better my life. But having a criminal record makes it hard to get help and to change.

I am currently back in prison on a charge I did not commit, but I have applied for rehab. All I want to do is to be a mother, stop using meth and stop committing crime. I know I can change I just need support to help point me in the right direction.

I thank the prison staff from Bandyup, West Kimberley and Broome Regional Prison on my journey to change, their support got me through my tough times.

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

Staying Out Is the Hard Part

By DJ

Why would anybody want to come back to the system and add to that statistic?

Letters

ISSUE NO. 25

2 MIN READ

Recognising Veterans on the Inside

By Colin

We have an active veterans’ affairs type meeting here every month and an outside group called “Buddy Up” that sends two of their volunteers in.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 25

1 MIN READ

Staying Out of Politics and Working on Myself

By Dylan

I’m only 23 years old but I feel like I’m 43. Being in prison definitely preserves your body but makes your mind and soul feel so much older if you know what I mean.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 25

1 MIN READ

How Do You Cope With Lockdowns?

By Darren

I’ve been in prison for 14 years now, and lockdowns have always been a feature of prison life, but I have also noticed that over the years they have gotten worse and worse.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 25

1 MIN READ

Welcome to About Time

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

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.

Donations via GiveNow

Email

Instagram

LinkedIn