ISSUE NO. 22
MAY 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

Making Prison Visits Better

By Denham Sadler

With Mother’s Day this month, prison visits have never been more important. But for children with a parent in prison, or other loved ones, this process can be scary and intimidating, with a lot of rules and conditions.

ISSUE NO. 22
4 MIN READ
Ethan Cassidy

Around the Country – April 2026

By About Time

Including the prison population growing in the ACT, a drug bust during a prison visit in Victoria, Hakea inmates suing state government in WA and more.

ISSUE NO. 22
5 MIN READ
Ethan Cassidy

Australia’s Oldest Prison Vegetable Garden?

By Hayley McKee

The men at Fremantle Prison learnt how to grow fresh food by planting concentrated rows of sturdy cabbage, corn, carrots, spring onions and other edible plants that could withstand the harsh WA sun. At its peak, the garden supplied the prison kitchen with more than 10,000 kilograms of fruit and vegetables each year.

ISSUE NO. 22
3 MIN READ
Fremantle Prison Parade Ground Gardens, 1970, Courtesy Fremantle Prison

New Civil Law Service for Women in NSW Prisons

By About Time

The Women’s Advocacy Service is a partnership between Legal Aid NSW and the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT), providing face-to-face appointments with both a lawyer and a social worker.

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ
Gabrielle Hender for Unsplash

We Need You: Maximum Security Unit Review Consultation

By Prisoners' Legal Service Queensland

The Inspector of Detention Services Queensland is undertaking a review of Maximum Security Units (MSUs) at Arthur Gorrie, Brisbane and Woodford Correctional Centres.

ISSUE NO. 22
3 MIN READ
katerha via Flickr

Who’s Watching the Prisons? Introducing ‘Inspector’s Corner’

Your monthly review of prison oversight

By About Time

There are a number of groups around the country that inspect prisons and provide feedback and recommendations to governments. These often involve visiting prisons and talking directly to people in custody.

ISSUE NO. 22
2 MIN READ
Ethan Cassidy
ONLINE NEWS

Victoria Pours $229m Into New Prison Beds

By Denham Sadler

The Victorian government will spend $229 million on new prison beds, five times what it has allocated to programs aiming to keep people out of them.

May 7, 2026
3 MIN READ
Willy Pleasance
ONLINE NEWS

Voices From Prison Lockdowns

By Denham Sadler

Australia is in the midst of an epidemic of prison lockdowns. There is often little or no warning that these lockdowns are going to happen, leaving many people in virtual solitary confinement for hours or days.

May 7, 2026
4 MIN READ
Ike Curtis

Archive

ISSUE NO. 15
October 2025

Parole Undermined

By Daniel Vansetten

Ideally, parole should enhance rehabilitation and reintegration. In the recent decade, however, rules restricting the granting of parole and a lack of housing options undermine these intended benefits.

3 MIN READ
BREAKING
May 1, 2026

Reports of Unsafe Drinking Water in Prisons Across Australia

By Denham Sadler

While access to clean drinking water is a basic human right for people in prison, there have been a number of recent reports of dirty and metallic-tasting drinking water in prisons around the country, raising concerns over the health impact of consuming such water.

3 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 14
September 2025

The Dark Side of Gains

By Ronin Cruise

Australian men are bulking up at alarming rates. But there’s a toxic truth beneath it all: steroid use.

2 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 14
September 2025

Rethinking Risk Assessments in Prison Settings

Stacey Stokes interviews Emma Russell

When an individual is assigned a risk classification of low, medium, or high risk by corrections, they have been given this classification through a risk assessment.

3 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 14
September 2025

Around the Country – August 2025

By About Time

Including WA Federal Government raising concerns with criminal justice reforms, SA prison placement guidelines reviewed, child incarceration rates increasing in NSW and more.

6 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 14
September 2025

‘Navigating a Minefield’: The Mental Health Crisis in Australia’s Prisons

By Denham Sadler and Rosie Heselev

It’s estimated that about a third of all people in prison in Australia have a mental health diagnosis. Despite the huge need for support and care, a lack of staffing across the country has meant that many people in prison have been unable to get help.

3 MIN READ
ISSUE NO. 13
August 2025

End-of-Life Care in Prisons: A Call for Compassion

By Sam Harris

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to grow old, especially for those behind bars. It’s a reality we often overlook, but the prison population is aging, and with that comes a growing need for something we all deserve: compassionate care at the end of life. This isn’t just about medical treatment; it’s about basic human dignity.

4 MIN READ

Welcome to About Time

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

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