Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 18
JANUARY 2026

Letters

About Time dedicates many of its pages to publishing the letters of people in prison, as well as from their family and friends.

This is the centrepiece of the paper: a platform for people to share their experiences and learn from each other.

Latest
Hope and Solidarity – a Freakin' Buzz!
Hope and Solidarity – a Freakin' Buzz!
Hope and Solidarity – a Freakin' Buzz!
Subheading
Subheading
By Joe
By Joe

I write to extend feedback – re: your monthly paper. I must say that it was with more than the usual measuring spoon of interest that most here @ MRC welcomed its arrival.

ISSUE NO. 3
5 MIN READ
Markus Spiske
My Time in Here Will Not Define Me
My Time in Here Will Not Define Me
My Time in Here Will Not Define Me
Subheading
Subheading
By Storm
By Storm

12 months into being remanded in custody. I’m still yet to be sentenced – hence I can’t see the end at all.

ISSUE NO. 3
3 MIN READ
'Forest Sky' by Mimo, $160, #5733, 60cm x 98cm, acrylic on canvas, available to purchase at https://www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/boom-gate-gallery
The Cost of Contact – New Prison Phone Fees Punish the Poor
By Anonymous

We are encouraged to maintain contact with our support people, our wives, our families, and our friends. This upcoming price increase will reduce the amount of contact we will be able to have with our supports.

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
Alp Duran via Unsplash
The Need for Compassion in End-of-Life Prison Care
By Laurence

What I’m hoping to achieve by writing this is awareness of the care I receive and the stubbornness of the exceptional circumstances parole in Queensland.

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
Willy Pleasance
By Aaron

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.

ISSUE NO. 18
3 MIN READ
By Jack

Why are jails so populated by people who are uneducated? What is being missed by the courts and cops and the community that the process of jailing people is formed around the process of not educating people or not identifying the problems in school?

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
By Anonymous

GROW is a community-based national organisation that works on mental wellbeing using a 12 step program of personal growth of mutual help and support. It operates through weekly peer support groups.

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
By Alexandra

I moved units about a month ago and we feed some stray cats here. One even let me pat her last night! It's been over a year since I've patted an animal, so you can imagine how excited I was!

ISSUE NO. 18
1 MIN READ
By Robert

Reading other prisoner’s stories inspired me to keep my head up and keep going now four months in, thank you all who share your stories and words of wisdom.

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
By Grant

I have been incarcerated for 22 months of a four-year sentence in Queensland jails. This poem is about my own situation.

ISSUE NO. 18
1 MIN READ
By Peter

On 1 November 2025, QCS introduced a new pricing model: 20 cents per minute for all calls, mobile or local. A call that once cost 30 cents for 15 minutes now costs $3 – a ten-times increase.

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
Previous Editions
ISSUE NO. 7
February 2025

Fences Inside and Around Me

By D.

It’s my first time being inside. My anxiety, fear, depression and mental health are heightened with extra volume.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

Prison Libraries and a Merry Christmas

By Jack

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Remember to be kind to one another over the festive season.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

Differences at NSW and QLD Prisons

By Belly

The biggest issue is the lack of transparency and continuous changes in direction.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

Being Deaf in Prison

By Rebecca

I miss out on small talks such as what other prisoners are really feeling to bigger things such as how to make a complaint against case notes.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

Give the Kids a Chance

By CC

I am writing today to draw attention to Youth Crime, and I'm not meaning 16 and 17 year olds. I’m talking about 10, 11 and 12 year olds.

3 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

Bukks' Musings

By Bukks

I spent about 13 years at the maximum-security Port Phillip Prison but am now at a medium security, Loddon. I have been here for almost two years now and since coming here have gotten into poetry.

4 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

Basic Things From the Buy-Up

By Jeffrey

During a long stay of about 6 months in prison, I came across a few fellow inmates who needed help with sorting their pile(s) of mixed documents which were kept in one or two used envelopes.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

The Cost of Living

By Rocket

As you can see there is not much cash to spend. So there is always someone worse off than you.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

A View From the Inside

By Donna

I thought I could enlighten you on how this prison's day to day works.

3 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 6
December 2024

Watching Repco Supercars

By Stephen

I will write to you and try to fill you guys in with what's happening in QLD prisons, especially Wolston.

2 MIN READ
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