ISSUE NO. 8
March 2025
Donate Here

Letters

Another Day in Paradise

By
Noah

Noah, originally from Germany, writes from Brisbane Correctional Centre in Queensland.

‘Maximum Security (The Zoo)’ by Tony, 2022, acrylic on canvas, Boom Gate Gallery

Hey,

My name is Noah and I have been in BCC for seven months. My life in this place is limited. I have emotional fights with myself. It started with being angry, angry towards everybody, angry towards myself, angry towards the situation. Then follows the shock. For many days, I could not eat or sleep. I was nothing.

After the shock, follows the disappointment. It hurt so much. I was just a few months in Australia, my English wasn’t really good and nobody from my life before speaks to me. All the future plans and dreams are gone. They let me completely fall. I miss my children, everyday I pray for them, I think about our good times. This is something that nobody can take away from me. I miss my home country, Germany. I am so alone. I don’t know what is happening outside, I just have contact with LegalAid lawyers. That’s wild and sad.

Most people here are nice, everybody has his story, and it’s good not to know everything. I don’t judge and really, I don’t understand everything, as most inmates speak with really wild slang. Most of them don’t explain, they say it louder, which makes it difficult. In every place on this planet people can be an asshole, even in prison. This is not something that is new. People come and go. It’s the same every time.

Everybody has the same words, “another day in paradise”. I am not here to make friendships, but I am thankful for every support, every nice word and for everyone who wants to listen when I want to talk. I feel forgotten. Prison reflects you like a mirror, you regret every mistake in your life. Everything. And if you want, it brings you back on the right way.

Noah

P.S. A big shout to all prisoners and the team of “Australia’s National Prison Newspaper”. Thank you for all the support.

Hey,

My name is Noah and I have been in BCC for seven months. My life in this place is limited. I have emotional fights with myself. It started with being angry, angry towards everybody, angry towards myself, angry towards the situation. Then follows the shock. For many days, I could not eat or sleep. I was nothing.

After the shock, follows the disappointment. It hurt so much. I was just a few months in Australia, my English wasn’t really good and nobody from my life before speaks to me. All the future plans and dreams are gone. They let me completely fall. I miss my children, everyday I pray for them, I think about our good times. This is something that nobody can take away from me. I miss my home country, Germany. I am so alone. I don’t know what is happening outside, I just have contact with LegalAid lawyers. That’s wild and sad.

Most people here are nice, everybody has his story, and it’s good not to know everything. I don’t judge and really, I don’t understand everything, as most inmates speak with really wild slang. Most of them don’t explain, they say it louder, which makes it difficult. In every place on this planet people can be an asshole, even in prison. This is not something that is new. People come and go. It’s the same every time.

Everybody has the same words, “another day in paradise”. I am not here to make friendships, but I am thankful for every support, every nice word and for everyone who wants to listen when I want to talk. I feel forgotten. Prison reflects you like a mirror, you regret every mistake in your life. Everything. And if you want, it brings you back on the right way.

Noah

P.S. A big shout to all prisoners and the team of “Australia’s National Prison Newspaper”. Thank you for all the support.

Sistas, Support Each Other!

By Anonymous

This letter is to remind you all that, as Sistas, we need to be there for one another to raise women up.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 23

2 MIN READ

Strip Searches

By Nikita

It’s daunting enough when you get arrested by police, then placed into custody and thrown into a cell. Then you have to go through a degrading strip search.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 23

1 MIN READ

If It’s Broken, Then Fix It

By Andrew

I’ve spent most of my adult life behind bars, and I’m not proud to say it. It’s been such a bloody waste.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 23

3 MIN READ

Routine is Good, Not Bad

By Dane

Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in prison can relate to the concept of prison rituals and routines.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 23

3 MIN READ

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

Help Us Keep Publishing About Time

Without About Time, I don’t know where I would be – Mark, from a prison in Victoria

We need your help so that we can print and distribute the paper to every person in every prison for at least the next year. We value whatever you can spare, no matter how big or small.

Australia’s prison population is growing, and our many prisons are spread far and wide.

We need your help so that we can print and distribute the paper to every person in every prison for at least the next year. We need your help to cover postage for anyone who sends us a letter from the inside.

We value whatever you can spare, no matter how big or small.