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Experiences
'Minimum Security?' by Tony, acrylic on canvas, Boom Gate Gallery
It was just another typical day in jail when word arrived. As soon as my name was called and the paper handed to me at morning muster, mixed feelings of surprise and anticipation began welling up inside. “This is unexpected today,” I thought, before quickly turning to “Who's it from I wonder?” Flipping over to the sender it leapt off the paper: the letter was from a distant friend.
And like so many of my fellow inmates, I felt a sudden fear I was about to be rejected.
Memories instantly flooded my mind: the last time we had seen each other; the last time we had spoken; the last text. I had been quietly hoping for this, yet had pushed it deep and far away as it had been ages since there was any contact between us. I retreated to my cell to reveal what the letter had in store.
It was just another typical day in jail when word arrived. As soon as my name was called and the paper handed to me at morning muster, mixed feelings of surprise and anticipation began welling up inside. “This is unexpected today,” I thought, before quickly turning to “Who's it from I wonder?” Flipping over to the sender it leapt off the paper: the letter was from a distant friend.
And like so many of my fellow inmates, I felt a sudden fear I was about to be rejected.
Memories instantly flooded my mind: the last time we had seen each other; the last time we had spoken; the last text. I had been quietly hoping for this, yet had pushed it deep and far away as it had been ages since there was any contact between us. I retreated to my cell to reveal what the letter had in store.
Separating the photocopies, I eagerly started reading. An update on how my friend had been and everything he'd been doing was there, as was a good sense of what life was like on the outside. But ahead of all that one thing struck the heart strings most: “Sorry for taking so long to write, you've been on my mind though,” the opening lines read. “How are you? Hope you're doing well.”
Just a few simple expressions said more than a couple of pages of detail ever could.
The feeling that I exist and am cared for by someone I thought I had lost carried meaning far beyond words. I buzzed with happiness, glad that making the first move to write to this distant friend all that time ago had paid off.
It didn't matter that there had been uncertainty about whether there would ever be a reply, or when the reply might come, or how long it might be. That all faded into the background. Because when it arrived, quality was better than quantity.
Separating the photocopies, I eagerly started reading. An update on how my friend had been and everything he'd been doing was there, as was a good sense of what life was like on the outside. But ahead of all that one thing struck the heart strings most: “Sorry for taking so long to write, you've been on my mind though,” the opening lines read. “How are you? Hope you're doing well.”
Just a few simple expressions said more than a couple of pages of detail ever could.
The feeling that I exist and am cared for by someone I thought I had lost carried meaning far beyond words. I buzzed with happiness, glad that making the first move to write to this distant friend all that time ago had paid off.
It didn't matter that there had been uncertainty about whether there would ever be a reply, or when the reply might come, or how long it might be. That all faded into the background. Because when it arrived, quality was better than quantity.
Don’t Erase Your Prison Years
By Steve Rothwell
I used to work in underground coal mines, and down there I experienced a similar sense of camaraderie to what I later encountered in prison.
Experiences
ISSUE NO. 24
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3 MIN READ
Inside Job
By Gary Griffiths
Let’s face it: money makes the world go around.
Experiences
ISSUE NO. 24
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5 MIN READ
Managing Your Sentence: The Flow of Time in Prison
By Anonymous
My advice? Each new dawn is one day closer to release. Focus on the moment and time will take care of itself. It’s not the amount of time you’ve got – it’s how you use it.
Experiences
ISSUE NO. 24
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3 MIN READ
What I Learned After Losing Everything to Addiction
By Jeremy
I’m currently 45 years old and I have spent 19 years of my life in NSW jails, albeit in instalments (not all in one go), because I kept falling for the traps of evil.
Experiences