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

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ISSUE NO. 12
July 2025
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Legal Corner

Legal Q&A – Is It Mandatory to Do Courses at Minimum Level Security to Get Parole?

By
John

John writes from Lindisfarne, Tasmania.

Ethan Cassidy

To About Time,

Is it mandatory to be at minimum security to get parole? A lot of courses are only offered when at minimum and then courses can take six months to complete. I am currently appealing my sentence, but that means I cannot move to a lower security rating. Would I be forced to drop my appeal just to get to minimum security? Is this fair? My parole is due November 12 but I can’t see how I can get it.

To About Time,

Is it mandatory to be at minimum security to get parole? A lot of courses are only offered when at minimum and then courses can take six months to complete. I am currently appealing my sentence, but that means I cannot move to a lower security rating. Would I be forced to drop my appeal just to get to minimum security? Is this fair? My parole is due November 12 but I can’t see how I can get it.

The Federal Election: Voting and More

The Federal Election: Voting and More

The Federal Election: Voting and More

By About Time
By About Time

The federal election is coming up. It happens about every three years. It’s for electing the government for the whole country – the federal government.

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 8

9 MIN READ

Solitary Confinement as a Sentencing Factor

Solitary Confinement as a Sentencing Factor

Solitary Confinement as a Sentencing Factor

By Prisoners Legal Service
By Prisoners Legal Service

If a prisoner is detained in solitary confinement, the conditions they face in custody are significantly more challenging compared to the general prison population. In some cases, this may be taken into account by a sentencing court and result in a shorter sentence being imposed.

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 13

2 MIN READ

What Happens to Your Debts While You’re Inside?

What Happens to Your Debts While You’re Inside?

What Happens to Your Debts While You’re Inside?

By Prisoner Legal Service Queensland
By Prisoner Legal Service Queensland

Generally, debts can be put into two categories. First, there are private debts (e.g. from a bank, a landlord, a car dealer, or ‘Afterpay’). Second, there are debts owed to the State (e.g. unpaid fines).

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 20

2 MIN READ

Legal Q&A – Varying Intervention Orders

Legal Q&A – Varying Intervention Orders

Legal Q&A – Varying Intervention Orders

Question from Dylan, Port Phillip Prison
Question from Dylan, Port Phillip Prison

I was reading a section of ‘Australia’s National Prison Newspaper’ where it gave some information about bail but I couldn’t find any information about people trying to vary intervention orders (I.V.O).

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 10

4 MIN READ

Interstate Prison Transfers 101

By About Time

People in prison can apply to transfer from a prison in one state or territory to another, generally for welfare reasons to be closer to family, community supports, or rehabilitation opportunities.

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 24

4 MIN READ

Inspectors’ Report!

By About Time

Inspectors and ombudsmen regularly go to prisons and publish reports on what they find and what they think needs to be improved. They also complete reports on issues such as access to healthcare or the use of segregation.

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 23

4 MIN READ

The Parole Patchwork: An Overview of Australia’s Parole Laws

By Human Rights Law Centre lawyer Monique Hurley, with assistance from Connor Shaw

In recent years, regressive reform of parole laws in many places has made it increasingly difficult for people in prison to access parole.

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 23

4 MIN READ

Open Air in Prison: Your Rights Explained

By Human Rights Law Centre and Prisoners’ Legal Service

With people in prisons across the country being subjected to an “epidemic of prison lockdowns”, it is important to note that bare minimum safeguards exist in law, in most jurisdictions, that purport to guarantee at least some time ‘in the open air’ each day for people behind bars.

Legal Corner

ISSUE NO. 22

5 MIN READ