People in prison in Western Australia will soon have access to Australia’s national prison newspaper for the first time, with About Time launching in the state in October.
About Time released its first edition in July last year and is now distributed to the more than 40,000 people in prison around the country.
From October, it will be available in prisons in every state and territory in Australia except for the Northern Territory.
This means that the more than 8,000 people in the 17 prisons in Western Australia will have access to the newspaper, which provides a voice to incarcerated people.
People in prison in Western Australia and around the country have little or no access to the internet, few news sources and limited opportunities for self-expression. About Time provides a platform for news and education, expression and hope.
It provides people in prison with an opportunity to share their stories and creativity, serves as a source of entertainment, inspiration and essential information, and informs the wider community about the experience of prison and of the people inside.
David, who is currently incarcerated in New South Wales, wrote a letter to About Time saying the newspaper has had an "overwhelmingly positive" response.
"Here, identity is often reduced to our number; our sense of personhood eroded day by day," David wrote.
"Yet when an inmate's words or artwork appear in About Time, that person is recognised again as fully human, capable of thought, creativity and contribution.
"Because of About Time, inmates can see the possibility of real change. There is no other service in Australia that reaches us in this way."
Shea wrote to About Time about how the newspaper helped them connect with other people in prison.
"Thank you greatly for publishing my letter...it not only gave me an outlet for personal expression, but also opened up lines of communication from other inmates," they wrote.
