Dear About Time,
I’m currently 10 years and three months into my 8½ year to 11½ year top sentence. I’m 56 years old, and not getting any younger. I’ve done all the things required by the APB to be released, and I was given a release date of 26 March 2025.
Needless to say, I’m still in prison. I cannot get accomodation. It seems to me that the biggest issue to most prisoners is accommodation. In Victoria, we have a new program for people that don’t have anywhere to go after release, or are at risk of homelessness post release. But, it seems that ARC can only help one in 30 people. I know of two people here at my prison that have gained accommodation through ARC, but many that have been rejected, including myself. Something needs to be done, as people are doing time that they don’t have to be doing (like myself), and it’s costing the taxpayers a lot of money to keep us in here, when it would be cheaper to house them on the outside.
If I get to the end of my sentence (another 13 months), then I will be dropped into a motel for three days, then after that, I’m on my own. It doesn’t seem fair.
Some people are lucky to get housing through ARC, but most aren’t.
Thanks for listening.
