ISSUE NO. 3
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Sections
September 2024
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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

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.

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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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Love + respect.

From Storm.

This
letter
was originally printed in the
September 2024
edition of About Time.
By Kate

Each day I wake up in here I’m re-shocked, so to speak…how on Earth has life gotten to this point for me? For a while there I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me I’d been “Punk’d”.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Adrian

There is a particular part of our prison populations that seems to have been forgotten, that gets no mention and yet these people who are the ones that need help and support when incarcerated with a unique set of issues that just aren’t recognised.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
3 MIN READ
By Marley

So the parole referred me to seek out a security classification to be possibly considered for low security.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ
By Stephen

What’s been happening at your prison at the moment? Our frequency of ‘lock-ins’ is increasing to about 2 per week while staff do training for the handover.

ISSUE NO. 27
•
2 MIN READ

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

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