Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 18
JANUARY 2026

News and Investigations

Each edition contains news articles and investigative pieces. These are topical stories that are usually about prisons and criminal justice.

We also summarise the latest criminal justice news around the country.

Latest
Police Installed Prison Listening Devices Without Proper Warrants
By Denham Sadler

“It is our assessment that Victoria Police did not comply with the Surveillance Devices Act when installing and maintaining integrated listening devices,” the report said.

ISSUE NO. 18
3 MIN READ
Willy Pleasance
United Nations Visit Australian Prisons
By Stacey Stokes

In early December, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited Australia. Their purpose was to provide guidance on how international human rights standards apply to prisons and places of detention.

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
Mathias Reding via Unsplash
Around the Country – December 2025
By About Time

Including a Victorian man suing for his right to have Vegemite in prison, a new framework for rehabilitation being launched by NT Corrections, a QLD Watchdog calling separation rooms in youth prisons ‘inhumane’ and more.

ISSUE NO. 18
8 MIN READ
Ethan Cassidy
Cleveland’s Death Was Preventable, Predictable and Predicted: Coroner
By Denham Sadler

The death of a 16-year-old First Nations teenager in a notorious youth unit of an adult prison in Western Australia was preventable and predictable, and the result of “serious longstanding deficiencies in the system, a Coroner has found.

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
Impacts of Proposed New Freedom of Information Laws
By Daniel Vansetten

Obtaining information from federal agencies is about to become subject to stricter rules under the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 (Cth).

ISSUE NO. 18
2 MIN READ
Willy Pleasance
Palliative Care in Prison and the Push for Change
By Sophie Lawson

End-of-life care, also known as palliative care, is a healthcare process that aims to improve the quality of life and reduce the suffering of those who are terminally ill. Being incarcerated can make this stage of life even more complicated.

ISSUE NO. 18
3 MIN READ
Dominik Lange via Unsplash
BREAKING
‘Overcrowded, Degraded and Infested with Cockroaches’: Inspection Finds Broome Prison Still Not Fit-For-Purpose
By Denham Sadler

A remote WA prison holding mostly First Nations people is “unfit for purpose”, with people sleeping on the floors and cockroach infestations.

3 MIN READ
Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services
BREAKING
Court Finds Victorian Prisons Are Not Providing Adequate ‘Open Air’
By Denham Sadler

A number of Victorian prisons may have to be renovated or rebuilt after the Supreme Court found that no “open air” was being provided to inmates in multiple units.

BREAKING
3 MIN READ
Willy Pleasance
BREAKING
QLD Moves to Restrict Voting Rights of People in Prison
By Denham Sadler

The Liberal Queensland government has announced plans to significantly minimise the rights to vote for people in prison.

BREAKING
2 MIN READ
Ike Curtis
Archive
ISSUE NO. 11
June 2025

‘Nowhere Near Enough’: More Housing Needed for People Leaving Prison

By Denham Sadler

A lack of access to stable housing is a key reason why many people reoffend and return to prison. It’s also a main reason why people are denied parole and kept in prison for longer.

7 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025

Recent Major Elections Around the World

By Joseph Friedman

Historically, the party in power (the ‘incumbent’) has had an advantage going into an election. That all changed last year.

6 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025

Vale Andrew Krakouer: The Comeback Man

By Tony Heselev

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains the image of a deceased person.

5 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025

Healing Justice: A Better Way Forward

By Tabitha Lean & Debbie Kilroy (National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls)

When people experience harm – whether through violence, trauma or the legal system – what they often need most is support, safety and healing. But too often our systems respond with punishment instead of care.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025

Changes to the Law in Victoria: Expanded Police Powers and Machetes as Prohibited Weapons

By Lauren Tye Legal

Critics of these amendments argue this policy will result in significant over-policing and racial profiling.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025

Around The Country – April 2025

By Edith McLellan

Including an ACT prison receiving funding for education, changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act being paused in QLD, NSW introducing “open clinics” to improve healthcare in prisons and more.

2-3 MIN READ EACH
ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025

“Kids Soften the Jail”: Keeping Mums and Kids Together in Prison

By Denham Sadler

The Living with Mum program is one of many across the country that permit women to raise their baby in a dedicated area of a prison. These programs vary in eligibility and age restrictions.

6 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 9
April 2025

Around The Country – March 2025

By About Time

Including tough bail laws being introduced in Victoria, the South Australian Government ruling out raising the age of criminal responsibility, a new parole board president appointed in Queensland and more.

2-3 MIN READ EACH
ISSUE NO. 9
April 2025

The Policy Commitments of the Major Parties

By About Time

The Australian Federal election is coming up. This is about voting for the Prime Minister and other federal politicians. It will be held on 3 May 2025.

4 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 9
April 2025

The Ongoing Fight to Vote in Prison

By Denham Sadler

“We can’t get information about how a party or candidate’s policies must impact prisoners,” Kelly told About Time. “Prison officers also will not provide us with any information as it is seen as political.”

6 MIN READ
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About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

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