ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025
Donate Here

Letters

Lack of Mail

By
Jason

Jason writes from Woodford Correctional Centre in Queensland.

Willy Pleasance

To About Time,

My name is Jason, I'm currently in Woodford CC in QLD. It is hard to communicate from here. The phones are 10c per 30 seconds for landlines, 35c per 30 seconds for mobile calls and 40c per call for local numbers. The time limits vary from center to center. For Woodford, it’s 10 minutes for Secure and 12 minutes for Res, for Brisbane CC it’s eight minutes, for Maryborough CC it's six minute calls, for Arthur Gorrie CC it's ten minutes. So the calls are between $5–$10 for mobiles and $1–$2.60 for landlines. Paid unit workers get (a week) between $20.30 and $80, for carers the industry workers get between $30.35 and $60.35 plus $9.85 on top for hygiene amenities for all prisoners.

The real reason that I'm writing is not to whinge about our calls or our pay per week, it is about the lack of pen-pal services to give prisoners like myself connection and community whilst incarcerated to stop or prevent depression and giving them a sense of hope and an outlet to discuss their lives and make friends. I've been in custody for 4 years so far and getting mail call is the highlight of my day and the highlight of so many others inside but there isn't anything available for prisoners other than listening to the prison radio show if you can pick it up on FM or if you have a DAB+ Radio but if you don’t you miss out.

Sincerely,  

Jason

Woodford CC

To About Time,

My name is Jason, I'm currently in Woodford CC in QLD. It is hard to communicate from here. The phones are 10c per 30 seconds for landlines, 35c per 30 seconds for mobile calls and 40c per call for local numbers. The time limits vary from center to center. For Woodford, it’s 10 minutes for Secure and 12 minutes for Res, for Brisbane CC it’s eight minutes, for Maryborough CC it's six minute calls, for Arthur Gorrie CC it's ten minutes. So the calls are between $5–$10 for mobiles and $1–$2.60 for landlines. Paid unit workers get (a week) between $20.30 and $80, for carers the industry workers get between $30.35 and $60.35 plus $9.85 on top for hygiene amenities for all prisoners.

The real reason that I'm writing is not to whinge about our calls or our pay per week, it is about the lack of pen-pal services to give prisoners like myself connection and community whilst incarcerated to stop or prevent depression and giving them a sense of hope and an outlet to discuss their lives and make friends. I've been in custody for 4 years so far and getting mail call is the highlight of my day and the highlight of so many others inside but there isn't anything available for prisoners other than listening to the prison radio show if you can pick it up on FM or if you have a DAB+ Radio but if you don’t you miss out.

Sincerely,  

Jason

Woodford CC

Lessons from Bees

By Muhamed

Prison teaches people to hold back. To keep to themselves. To give as little as possible. To protect what little energy or hope they have left. When everything feels limited – time, freedom, trust – it makes sense to think that giving more will leave you with less. But the bee lives by a different rule.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 22

2 MIN READ

Albany Prisoners on Lockdowns

By Prisoners at Albany Prison, WA

We are not sure who to write to or who we can talk to about theses matters. We are hoping someone reads our letter and can point us in the right direction to have our voices heard.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 22

1 MIN READ

Rights for Foreign Prisoners

By Luiing

If foreign prisoners have been sentenced under same law as Australians, then it’s extremely important that they have right to be treat equally in their imprisonment – on humanitarian grounds.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 22

2 MIN READ

Not Cool: Heat and Overcrowding in TMCC

By Dane

The following is in response to the article by Denham Sadler titled “Sweltering Behind Bars: Stifling Heat in Australian prisons”.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 22

2 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