Donate Here

Letters

Mum’s Story

By
Michelle

Michelle is a mother whose son is incarcerated in Victoria.

Joanna Kosinska

How my son being incarcerated has and is affecting me

Well for the first year and a half I tried to cope and handle all of the shock, trauma and every emotion all by myself because I have faced hard times in the past but this was next level. I needed to go to my doctor and was prescribed anti depressants, which I take daily, and even though I struggle to let my thoughts go deep, they do help.

As a mother all I want to do is bring him (my son) home and tell him everything will be ok. I miss him every minute of every day. My focus is always on my son, even though I function every day by working and being around my family and trying to live my life as normal as I can, but it’s not normal. I’m always preoccupied, thinking and wondering if he’s ok and safe. I feel like I can’t get 100% on with my life in peace until he comes home.

On a positive note, I feel like me, my son and my whole family have found our inner strengths from this whole tragedy. And at the moment I’m just living each day by day until my son comes home to his family.

How my son being incarcerated has and is affecting me

Well for the first year and a half I tried to cope and handle all of the shock, trauma and every emotion all by myself because I have faced hard times in the past but this was next level. I needed to go to my doctor and was prescribed anti depressants, which I take daily, and even though I struggle to let my thoughts go deep, they do help.

As a mother all I want to do is bring him (my son) home and tell him everything will be ok. I miss him every minute of every day. My focus is always on my son, even though I function every day by working and being around my family and trying to live my life as normal as I can, but it’s not normal. I’m always preoccupied, thinking and wondering if he’s ok and safe. I feel like I can’t get 100% on with my life in peace until he comes home.

On a positive note, I feel like me, my son and my whole family have found our inner strengths from this whole tragedy. And at the moment I’m just living each day by day until my son comes home to his family.

This
letter
was originally printed in the
August 2024
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