ISSUE NO. 22
MAY 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

Why Mum Can’t Come Home

Stories I tell my children

By Hannah

I am currently remanded and I have two young children. My son is 8 and my daughter is 6. I have never told them that I’m in jail and instead explain to them that I’m at a facility that helps mummys and daddys get their minds and bodies strong again.

I’ve struggled to explain to them the lengthy time periods I’ve spent away from home, so recently I wrote them both a story that tried to explain why I’m not always around.

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ
Ike Curtis

‘I Try, I Really Do’

By Lynda

Mum I wish you knew how much I care, and how much I miss you when you’re not there.

ISSUE NO. 22
1 MIN READ

From a Mum With Her Son in Jail

By Lorraine

Living grief, as a mother, is waking each day with the knowledge that your child is still here, yet not truly free.

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ

Handling Family Issues From Prison

By Amos

Family issues trouble you the most while you are in the custody. Maybe you have a spouse or children. Or you may have close relationship with some members of the family. Some of us might have children in different states or overseas.

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ
By Dane

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

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ
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.

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ
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.

ISSUE NO. 22
1 MIN READ
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.

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ

Previous Editions

ISSUE NO. 18
January 2026

Thank You for Your Stories

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.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 18
January 2026

I Should've Gone To Specsavers

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!

1 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 18
January 2026

Program Helping My Mental Health

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.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 18
January 2026

Education Not Incarceration

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?

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 18
January 2026

My Advice to Others Inside

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.

3 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 18
January 2026

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.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 18
January 2026

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.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 17
December 2025

How I’ve GROWn

By Trevor

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

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 17
December 2025

‘Protection’ at the Cost of Human Rights

By Timmy

In New South Wales, there were previously three levels of protective custody for vulnerable inmates, such as myself, who have autism spectrum disorder and other mental health issues.

1 MIN RED

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

Donate to About Time