Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 10

May 2025

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Letters

Prison Healthcare

By

Bradley

Bradley writes from Ron Barwick Prison in Tasmania.

Mufid Majnun via Unsplash

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To Australia’s National Prison Newspaper, About Time,

Hi,

My name is Bradley, an inmate of Ron Barwick Prison in Tasmania. I have written to you before about our living expenses and pays and canteen prices. Since then, we got a pay rise which was good. About time! But since then canteen prices have gone up so it sort of defeats the purpose of getting a pay rise…

I’m writing this in regards to our health in the prison. We want to know why we get treated differently in jail than on the outside. If we are prescribed it by our doctor, why can’t we have it – it’s our medication? I’m on the Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) program and on the outside (so before coming into custody) I was getting my medication every 21 days. Every three weeks you go in and get jabbed, so why don’t we get it in jail? Why is it any different? Why is it 28 days in jail? After getting my medication, coming up to my 3-week mark, a week before my jab (my medication), I feel down, feel shit. Why? Because I’m waiting an extra week. I’m not getting my medication when I should, like everyone else on the outside. I have put this forward to the Ombudsman and Health Complaints Commissioner with no reply. I got a big petition so those who are on the ORT program sign it as everyone on the ORT program are all feeling the same and all want it to change to every 21 days. I hope someone can make a change. To those who can, is this happening to any other prisons on the ORT program? How long do they have to wait? Are we getting the same healthcare in jail? NO. Something needs to be done. Thank you.

PS. and a big thank you to Australia’s National Prison Newspaper and everyone that has published something – onya!

To Australia’s National Prison Newspaper, About Time,

Hi,

My name is Bradley, an inmate of Ron Barwick Prison in Tasmania. I have written to you before about our living expenses and pays and canteen prices. Since then, we got a pay rise which was good. About time! But since then canteen prices have gone up so it sort of defeats the purpose of getting a pay rise…

I’m writing this in regards to our health in the prison. We want to know why we get treated differently in jail than on the outside. If we are prescribed it by our doctor, why can’t we have it – it’s our medication? I’m on the Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) program and on the outside (so before coming into custody) I was getting my medication every 21 days. Every three weeks you go in and get jabbed, so why don’t we get it in jail? Why is it any different? Why is it 28 days in jail? After getting my medication, coming up to my 3-week mark, a week before my jab (my medication), I feel down, feel shit. Why? Because I’m waiting an extra week. I’m not getting my medication when I should, like everyone else on the outside. I have put this forward to the Ombudsman and Health Complaints Commissioner with no reply. I got a big petition so those who are on the ORT program sign it as everyone on the ORT program are all feeling the same and all want it to change to every 21 days. I hope someone can make a change. To those who can, is this happening to any other prisons on the ORT program? How long do they have to wait? Are we getting the same healthcare in jail? NO. Something needs to be done. Thank you.

PS. and a big thank you to Australia’s National Prison Newspaper and everyone that has published something – onya!

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