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

ISSUE NO. 27
October 2026
How to Get Better Sleep
Some practical tips for a better night’s rest
Health
Ask Stacey!
What you need to know about AI
Reintegration
Criminal Record Checks  
‘Your past doesn’t have to impact your future’
Mob
Learn to Draw Cartoons!
A beginner’s guide to a fun new drawing style
Learn
READ THE LATEST VOICES FROM LOCKDOWNS
THE LATEST VOICES FROM LOCKDOWNS

Your Words Made Me Believe I Am Worth Something

By Anonymous

I’ve read a lot of articles in About Time this past year, but your article about embracing the next chapter really meant something to me. Your words were real and meaningful.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
1 MIN READ
An image of handwritten letters stacked on top of each other, with a pen resting on top.
Ire Photocreative via Unsplash

The True Impact of Lockdowns

By Angela

Today is my daughter’s 13th birthday and because I’m incarcerated, I wasn’t allowed to call her yesterday.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
An image of a green grassy field with a blue sky and white clouds. Birds are sitting on the grass and flying in the sky.
Harrison Doust
By Kate

Each day I wake up in here I’m re-shocked, so to speak…how on Earth has life gotten to this point for me? For a while there I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me I’d been “Punk’d”.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Adrian

There is a particular part of our prison populations that seems to have been forgotten, that gets no mention and yet these people who are the ones that need help and support when incarcerated with a unique set of issues that just aren’t recognised.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
3 MIN READ
By Stephen

What’s been happening at your prison at the moment? Our frequency of ‘lock-ins’ is increasing to about 2 per week while staff do training for the handover.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Joeby

My name is Joeby – earlier this year I wrote about our gym equipment and our access to supplements. Since my return there has been no update or change at the centre.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Nigel

Helicobacter pylori is an infection of bacteria in the stomach with symptoms ranging from mild to severe heartburn, stomach pains, diarrhoea, gastrointestinal problems, duodenal ulcers, stomach ulcers, and possible gastric-related cancers.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Amanda

When I’m locked down, I do a lot of crocheting, which I find is really good for my mental health and your loved ones are sure to love it.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Billy

I had no money for the June activity buy-up, and just enough to order thermal underwear (bottom/top) and a beanie for the July activity buy-up. Then I was told it wouldn’t arrive till the end of August! Winter will be over!

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Nikki

In June 2025, a new policy was implemented affecting the low classification placement of inmates in Queensland on offences of manslaughter and attempted murder.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
1 MIN READ

Around the Country – September 2026

By About Time

Including suppression orders being banned for some offenders in VIC, good character to be scrapped in sentencing in WA, major changes made to remand processes in NSW and more.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
4 MIN READ
A green charcoal illustration of Australia, with the states defined.
Ethan Cassidy

Inspector's Corner – September 2026

By About Time

There are many 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.

This is what they’ve been up to in the last month.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
3 MIN READ
A green charcoal illustration of a character bending over and looking at a prison through a magnifying glass.
Ethan Cassidy

‘I’m Ready for This Next Chapter’

By Andrew

I finally finished my VPP (Violence Prevention Program) in late June. It was one of the wisest decisions I ever made.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
3 MIN READ
A green charcoal illustration of a small character turning the page of a book, as if going to the next chapter.
Ethan Cassidy

Prison Dentistry Through the Years

By Jonathan

When I was first transferred to PPP in 2000, I was warned about the dentist colloquially known as ‘The Butcher.’ I attended the dentist for a sore molar.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
3 MIN READ
An image of a prison dentist room, with equipment and a chair in the centre.
Benyamin Bohlouli via Unsplash

Facing Release With Nowhere to Go

By MJ

When I get released at the end of this year, I am faced with a massive uphill climb with barely a rope to save me.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
An image of cream buildings against a clear blue sky.
Harrison Doust
Writing Competition!
Time Travel
Ethan Cassidy

Writing Competition – Time Travel

Read the comments from our special guest judge Peter Rose

By About Time

Clearly you only have to nominate ‘time travel’ as the subject of a writing competition to get people thinking.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
A green charcoal illustration of a tardis, stopwatch, pages of written paper and a pencil.
Ethan Cassidy

Time Travellers, Don’t Change the Past

Our 'Time Travel' writing competition winner!

By Anonymous

Even if positive life events have been few and far between for YOU/now, the ingenious design of our transport allows you to revisit them time and again.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
A green charcoal illustration of a first place badge.
Ethan Cassidy
By Tanya

If you could travel in time, would you change anything? Or would you simply see for yourself how life has evolved? How far in time would you travel back or forward too?

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Byron

It was late afternoon when he opened his eyes. The blanket of clouds had broken in several places, and beams of golden light planked the valley floor, illuminating the tops of the ruined buildings.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Tarei

My record would be clean, I wouldn’t have hurt so many people, done so many burgs, or maybe I wouldn’t be raised by gangsters and by feds, but then who would I be?

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Shea

Our time machine doesn’t take the form of a Tardis, or DeLorean, yet it does represent an equally large figure in pop culture and science fiction (at least those forced into hard labour on a mining planet colony usually got a spectacular view of the galaxy around them).

ISSUE NO. 27
•
3 MIN READ

How to Get Better Sleep in Prison

By Alison Cullen

Sleep is one of the most important parts of our physical and psychological health.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
4 MIN READ
A green charcoal image of a person lying in bed awake, thinking of sleep. The room around the character is dark, and you can see the moon outside the window.
Ethan Cassidy
•

Mob

How to Apply For Victim of Crime Compensation

By Prisoners’ Legal Service QLD

If you have been the victim of a crime, you may be able to apply for financial assistance through a government-run victim compensation scheme.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
3 MIN READ
An image of a lawyer taking a client through an important looking document.
Willy Pleasance
ONLINE NEWS

Victoria Ends the Criminalisation of Begging

By Denham Sadler

After decades of campaigning, the state will scrap an offence punishable by up to a year in prison, shifting the response to poverty and homelessness away from policing.

ONLINE NEWS
•
2 MIN READ
Willy Pleasance

Learn How to Draw Cartoons!

By Brett Cardwell (Cardytoons)

Have you ever wanted to learn how to draw cartoons or make your own comic strips? It’s easier than you think, and lots of fun. In this first edition of a new series, Melbourne-based artist and cartoonist Brett Cardwell shows us how to get started with cartoon faces.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ

Dave’s Drawing

By Dave

I’m sending a drawing I have done – I’ve only been drawing for about eight months now and I’m happy with my progress, as before I could only draw stick figures.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
1 MIN READ
A pen line illustration of a koi fish, with a spiral shaped backdrop.
Dave draws from a prison in QLD
By Prabhpreet

Today I went down the solitary lane, to seek revenge from who owe me pain. What I saw was horrifying, people gathered there too were crying.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
1 MIN READ
By Eleanor

Life is what you make it, my friend. The only opinion that should matter is your own. Why? Because beauty is in the beholder’s eyes and in the end, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
1 MIN READ
By Kelli

My life confined to a white sack, they dress us all the same. The sack is heavy, dragged around, but weighs less than my shame.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
1 MIN READ
•

Legal Q&A

Do you have a general legal query that you want answered?
Is  there an area of law that you think people inside should know more about? Submit your question in the provided form, and we might publish an answer in the paper.

Submit Your Question

•

Play

Trivia

Gadjet writes from a prison in VIC.

A green charcoal illustration of three question marks.
Ethan Cassidy

Sudoku

Fill the grid so every row, column and box contains the numbers 1-9 once.

An image of the Sudoku included in Issue No. 27 of About Time.

Meme of the Month

Meicho writes from a prison in QLD.

Crossword

Can you find all the words from the clues?

An image of the crossword included in Issue No. 27 of About Time.
Get All the Latest News From About Time in Your Inbox

Be the first to read each edition online and receive two newsletters each month filled with news stories, experiences, creativity and the voices of people in prison around the country.

X

X

You've successfully registered!
Something went wrong when we tried to register your details. Please try again.