Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 3

September 2024

ISSUE NO. 3

+

Sections

September 2024

Donate Here

Letters

My Time in Here Will Not Define Me

By

Storm

Storm writes from Mary Hutchinson Women’s Prison (MHWP) in Tasmania. She sent us several poems and a song, which we hope to publish in coming editions.

'Forest Sky' by Mimo, $160, #5733, 60cm x 98cm, acrylic on canvas, available to purchase at https://www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/boom-gate-gallery

Font Size
Font Size
Line Height
Line Height
Dyslexia Friendly
Black & White
Hide Images
Night Mode

12 months into being remanded in custody. I’m still yet to be sentenced – hence I can’t see the end at all. I’m trying hard to make something of my time here, writing A LOT, doing heaps of artwork, studying at uni, doing literally ALL the therapy available to me here and any other short courses I can get into. I had a clean record before this but could get anywhere from 2-9 years for my major charge.

I’m trying to advocate for change within this flawed system and have been using my lived experience to write to many external entities about the state of affairs in here. Often that means my time is made somewhat harder. But

I only hope that in the future other inmates feel confident that they too have a voice and that their time is made easier.

I plan to continue with uni inside and outside and pursue a Law degree so I’m more able to try to implement positive changes for people incarcerated and to advocate for myself and others.

I hope to not let my time here define me, but to make good use of this time to better myself as well as the system which keeps me here.

I urge everyone to do the same. Stay on the up and up, no matter how hard it gets, no matter how long you’re here – make it count for something and do better in the future — for yourself, your family and for your community around you.

Love + respect.

From Storm.

12 months into being remanded in custody. I’m still yet to be sentenced – hence I can’t see the end at all. I’m trying hard to make something of my time here, writing A LOT, doing heaps of artwork, studying at uni, doing literally ALL the therapy available to me here and any other short courses I can get into. I had a clean record before this but could get anywhere from 2-9 years for my major charge.

I’m trying to advocate for change within this flawed system and have been using my lived experience to write to many external entities about the state of affairs in here. Often that means my time is made somewhat harder. But

I only hope that in the future other inmates feel confident that they too have a voice and that their time is made easier.

I plan to continue with uni inside and outside and pursue a Law degree so I’m more able to try to implement positive changes for people incarcerated and to advocate for myself and others.

I hope to not let my time here define me, but to make good use of this time to better myself as well as the system which keeps me here.

I urge everyone to do the same. Stay on the up and up, no matter how hard it gets, no matter how long you’re here – make it count for something and do better in the future — for yourself, your family and for your community around you.

Love + respect.

From Storm.

Leave a Comment

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
0 Comments
Author Name
Comment Time

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Send Us a Letter

Your contributions are the centerpiece of the paper. If you would like to contribute to our Letters section, please send your letters to the below postal address:

About Time
PO BOX 24041
Melbourne VIC 3000

The Importance of Solitude in Rehabilitation

By Mick

It is not a pleasurable experience. It is very difficult to face all those emotions and reflect over the course of your whole life.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 16

2 MIN READ

Drawing My Way Out of Prison

By Edward

I was always drawing as a kid, and when the opportunity came up to do an art course at age 17 I went for it.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 16

2 MIN READ

How Metal and Punk Music Saved My Life

By Aidan

I remember our living room used to be filled with hundreds of CDs. My mum is where my love of music came from.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 16

2 MIN READ

Gratefulness and Grit

By Daniel

You can have as many support workers and parole officers as you can get, but it will never make you stop doing crimes. It has to come from within yourself.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 16

3 MIN READ

Get the full paper in print each month.

6-Month Subscription:

Physical copy of About Time delivered to your home or organisation each month for six months. Paid upfront.

Subscribe for $70

12-Month Subscription:

Physical copy of About Time delivered to your home or organisation each month for twelve months. Paid upfront.

Subscribe for $125

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

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

Support Australia's First National Prison Newspaper

A place for news and education, expression and hope

Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to pay directly into our bank account to avoid the processing fee, please contact donate@abouttime.org.au. ABN 67 667 331 106.

It's
About Time.

A place for news and education, expression and hope.

Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

Donate Here

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

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

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