ISSUE NO. 10
May 2025
Donate Here

Letters

Lack of Mail

By
Jason

Jason writes from Woodford Correctional Centre in Queensland.

Willy Pleasance

To About Time,

My name is Jason, I'm currently in Woodford CC in QLD. It is hard to communicate from here. The phones are 10c per 30 seconds for landlines, 35c per 30 seconds for mobile calls and 40c per call for local numbers. The time limits vary from center to center. For Woodford, it’s 10 minutes for Secure and 12 minutes for Res, for Brisbane CC it’s eight minutes, for Maryborough CC it's six minute calls, for Arthur Gorrie CC it's ten minutes. So the calls are between $5–$10 for mobiles and $1–$2.60 for landlines. Paid unit workers get (a week) between $20.30 and $80, for carers the industry workers get between $30.35 and $60.35 plus $9.85 on top for hygiene amenities for all prisoners.

The real reason that I'm writing is not to whinge about our calls or our pay per week, it is about the lack of pen-pal services to give prisoners like myself connection and community whilst incarcerated to stop or prevent depression and giving them a sense of hope and an outlet to discuss their lives and make friends. I've been in custody for 4 years so far and getting mail call is the highlight of my day and the highlight of so many others inside but there isn't anything available for prisoners other than listening to the prison radio show if you can pick it up on FM or if you have a DAB+ Radio but if you don’t you miss out.

Sincerely,  

Jason

Woodford CC

To About Time,

My name is Jason, I'm currently in Woodford CC in QLD. It is hard to communicate from here. The phones are 10c per 30 seconds for landlines, 35c per 30 seconds for mobile calls and 40c per call for local numbers. The time limits vary from center to center. For Woodford, it’s 10 minutes for Secure and 12 minutes for Res, for Brisbane CC it’s eight minutes, for Maryborough CC it's six minute calls, for Arthur Gorrie CC it's ten minutes. So the calls are between $5–$10 for mobiles and $1–$2.60 for landlines. Paid unit workers get (a week) between $20.30 and $80, for carers the industry workers get between $30.35 and $60.35 plus $9.85 on top for hygiene amenities for all prisoners.

The real reason that I'm writing is not to whinge about our calls or our pay per week, it is about the lack of pen-pal services to give prisoners like myself connection and community whilst incarcerated to stop or prevent depression and giving them a sense of hope and an outlet to discuss their lives and make friends. I've been in custody for 4 years so far and getting mail call is the highlight of my day and the highlight of so many others inside but there isn't anything available for prisoners other than listening to the prison radio show if you can pick it up on FM or if you have a DAB+ Radio but if you don’t you miss out.

Sincerely,  

Jason

Woodford CC

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.