Dear About Time,

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Hi, my name is Aaron and I'm currently incarcerated in NSW. I’m on remand ATM, and waiting for a Supreme Court bail date, which I’m praying will be before Christmas this year (if not January). I’ve made the most of my time in jail this time and have made myself a promise to not just waste my time here, but to learn as much as I can, study, get fit, do as many programs as possible, and come out a better person than I came in as. I've achieved that, and more.

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I have even taken up art of late and am almost finished with my first painting on canvas. But what I'm most proud of is the study I've done and the assignments that I've completed all in my own spare time, in cell and of my own free will. I've completed and re-written two full courses that I was lucky enough to find after searching long and hard in the education section (app of the inmate tablet that is issued to all inmates here.)

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I'm actually so proud of my work that I mentioned my work to a facilitator who facilitates the addictions program and she asked to take a look. Well, she was so impressed, she not only took it home to read, she also scanned it, copied it, binding a copy into a book (actually, two books) and told me it was amazing and then asked if she could use some of the contents of my work in her class, and also asked if i was interested in teaching/facilitating the contents of my work as a course/program. The two courses are versions re-written my way of two courses that I studied from the tablet. One is called positive psychology which I added “The Science of Optimal Human Functioning” to the title, and the other is called Atomic Habits which I also added “The Ultimate Guide to Behavioural Change and Success” to its title and re-wrote them both adding my contributions.

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I was taken back by the praise and interest I received and it made me so proud of myself. I was told by her and a couple of other people I have shown that once they started reading it, they couldn't put it down, and that not only would it help a lot of people, but even they now have a different outlook on the subjects I've written about and it's already helped them and they have already started using some of my techniques and strategies themselves. One being my cell mate, who now trains with me everyday, for the first time in his life. I’m not going to keep raving on about it, because it's not really what I'm writing to you for anyways.

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I just want to say that I've reached my first goal of becoming a better person this time that I've spent inside than the person I was when I came in less than six months ago.

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So that's my advice to anyone that is coming to jail – and it's the first time that I've actually used my time in jail specifically to better myself, both physically and academically. Every other time, I've just wasted it, getting fat, putting on weight and writing to or calling girls saying how much I can't wait to get out and see them, talking myself up and just being a dickhead. This is how I know this is where I finally hang up my greens, and never return here and finally live up to my true potential. It's only taken me 44 yrs and about six years in jail over almost 25 yrs since my first time in. But anyways, enough rambling on from me now, and the real reason I'm writing to you is I want to say I’m a huge fan of your newspaper. Thank you guys for your inspiring work. I hope to hear back soon.

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Yours sincerely,

Aaron