ISSUE NO. 9
April 2025
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Letters

To Women Behind These Concrete Walls

By
D

D writes from Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Victoria.

'Inside Out Outside In' by Megan, available for purchase at Boom Gate Gallery

To Whom it May Concern,

Walking around DPFC and seeing the faces in here is overwhelming, but what you don’t see is the burden we carry on our shoulders and does not show on our faces. What you see is a lot of different faces from different parts of the state.

But what our faces don’t show is the mistakes, fear, anxiety, depression, mental health issues, regrets, loss of faith in a system so broken, sadness, loneliness, how broken we are inside, loss of our homes and jobs, our pain for our family and children. The women, who have been behind these big concrete walls, some for long term, some short stays, or months or weeks and some for many years … Yet with our flaws, mistakes, pain, depression, anxiety, mental health and more we are only trying to survive this broken system and being behind these concrete walls.

As in our darkest time, we have lost the battle of rational thinking and made mistakes. We have a voice, but through the system, our voices are muted. We are mothers, sisters, daughters, and even grandmothers. The system dealt with by police/judges/courts etc. only see us as a danger to the community and society.

Remember: people at the other side of these concrete walls – you have not walked in our shoes and hopefully you are not faced with a family member or your children who might make a mistake and are put through our broken system!

How will you react?

For the faces of all women in DPFC.

To Whom it May Concern,

Walking around DPFC and seeing the faces in here is overwhelming, but what you don’t see is the burden we carry on our shoulders and does not show on our faces. What you see is a lot of different faces from different parts of the state.

But what our faces don’t show is the mistakes, fear, anxiety, depression, mental health issues, regrets, loss of faith in a system so broken, sadness, loneliness, how broken we are inside, loss of our homes and jobs, our pain for our family and children. The women, who have been behind these big concrete walls, some for long term, some short stays, or months or weeks and some for many years … Yet with our flaws, mistakes, pain, depression, anxiety, mental health and more we are only trying to survive this broken system and being behind these concrete walls.

As in our darkest time, we have lost the battle of rational thinking and made mistakes. We have a voice, but through the system, our voices are muted. We are mothers, sisters, daughters, and even grandmothers. The system dealt with by police/judges/courts etc. only see us as a danger to the community and society.

Remember: people at the other side of these concrete walls – you have not walked in our shoes and hopefully you are not faced with a family member or your children who might make a mistake and are put through our broken system!

How will you react?

For the faces of all women in DPFC.

An Idea to Reduce Drugs and Violence in Prison

By Melissa

I have been in the system a long time. I believe that we as prisoners should be heard a lot more.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ

We Want to Get Healthy in Prison – So Why Can’t We Buy Protein Powder?

By Joeby

Here at MCC we are limited to weight bags and medicine balls. We cannot purchase creatine or protein powders, training gloves or any other essential items that other prisoners at other centres can purchase.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ

First Time In Prison, 3000km From Family

By Deanno

I just want to get back to my home state WA so I can do my time with my family support where I’m happy and have all my supports.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ

Discovering Buddhism in Prison

By Chris

Buddhism teaches that pain is a part of being human, not a failure. Thoughts are not who you are, change is always possible because nothing is permanent. There is beauty in the idea that peace isn’t something you chase, it’s something you uncover when you stop clinging.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 20

2 MIN READ

Welcome to About Time

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

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