To About Time,
I was recently at Barwon Prison when I saw this paper for the first time. I didn't know it was going on, so thank you. I’m not sure where to start as I have heaps to say. I am a proud Aboriginal man. I have a son who I love to death. I have been in jail this time since 2021 and doing 14 years. I have been in and out of jail my whole adult life. Now about jail and what it does to you inside: you learn to suppress your feelings and show your anger or bravado. But what happens then to you? You forget how to love. I have a great partner, she is amazing. She stands by me and is as loyal as can be. She taught me how to love again and how to be happy and accept things from a different point of view. Sometimes though, she thinks things are massive, but I think they are small – it can cause some fights. But I love her either way and she is amazing. Her name is Justine and one day I want to thank her for everything she has done for me and for so many other prisoners in Victoria.
The next thing I want to say is at Barwon you’re treated with respect by staff. Yeah, they can be the enemy, but who will lock up the animals at night? I am missing Barwon so badly it hurts. I left some good friends behind, people I call my brothers. When you live with people for seven years, day in and day out, then moving prisons – it’s like being locked up all over again. At Barwon, they even allowed us to get Playstation 2 and games dropped off by family due to mental health.
One more thing – in jail, there are three money accounts including compulsory savings, which means every week the jail takes one day’s wage and puts it there for the day you go home so you have money. The second account is ‘available spend’ – money you can spend at the canteen. The third account is set aside for ‘special spend’ like runners and stuff.
Why can't the jail put your money into a high interest account or even let you buy shares or invest so when you do go home you will have money to move on in life? $3 or 4K isn’t much with the cost of living, but also to restart with clothes, phone, food, rent etc. When I get out, $3K will be lucky to buy a meat pie and a can of coke!
I love seeing The Torch artwork in here – they do so much for the Mob in jail. Keep up the good work. Happy New Year to all the Black Mob behind bars.
Dave, Yorta Yorta & Ngarrindjeri
