In mid-2024, a new national newspaper started gaining readers across Australia.

The publication covers health and wellness, arts and culture, education, First Nations issues, sport, and more. It has puzzles and jokes, a popular letters section, and readers can have their art, short stories, and poems published.

At a time when traditional newspapers are losing the battle against social media, this new publication has already attracted an enthusiastic readership.

The newspaper is called About Time - and its key audience is the more than 40,000 people in prisons and remand centres throughout Australia.

About Time was the brainchild of managing editors Rosie Heselev and Joseph Friedman, both lawyers from Victoria, who were inspired by the UK’s highly regarded national prison paper, Inside Time.

“We aim to combat the social isolation, mental ill-health, boredom and information blackhole experienced by people in prison,” Rosie says. “About Time is also for family members and friends of those in prison, for those who were formerly incarcerated, and for those who have an interest in the Australian criminal legal system.”

The Ross Trust has just committed $150,000 over two years to About Time Media Ltd (ATM), the charity behind the newspaper, to support a paid part-time managing director, as well as operational expenses and evaluation.

Joseph Friedman says that ATM wants to increase and maintain circulation of printed and digital newspapers to every person in detention across Australia.

“Currently, each monthly edition reaches over 30,000 incarcerated people via distribution in prisons throughout Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT,” he says. “We hope to increase the number of copies delivered in South Australia and also hope to enter Western Australia and Northern Territory, as well as immigration detention and youth justice centres.”

Joseph says that people in prison are some of society’s most vulnerable, experiencing higher rates of homelessness, unemployment, mental health disorders, chronic physical health conditions, and illicit drug use than the general population. About one in three people in prison are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

“Prisons and jails purposefully limit contact with the outside world - in Victoria, for example, incarcerated people are entitled to one 30-minute visit from family or friends each week,” he says. “By design, the prison environment leads to disconnection from family and community, boredom and lack of purpose, and loss of autonomy.

About Time aims to provide accessible and reliable news and expression for people in prison and their loved ones, he says.

“We had many conversations and focus groups with current and former incarcerated people in the lead up to launching About Time,” Joseph says. “A recurring theme was that people in prison need something to do. They have so much time every day, and so little to do. They are pent up, frustrated, incredibly bored.

“We believe About Time is helping to alleviate that problem, at least to some extent. Prison newspapers play a crucial role in enhancing the health, wellbeing, and connectivity of incarcerated individuals.”

The Ross Trust Senior Grants Manager Meghan Weekes said the About Time project aligned with the trust’s Social Justice grant area by addressing social injustices and violations of basic human rights.

“The newspaper is already supporting the health, wellbeing, and connectivity of Australian prisoners, providing essential information, fostering creative expression, building community ties, and supporting rehabilitation efforts,” Meghan says.

“It has the potential to significantly improve the experiences of incarcerated individuals across Australia. It also aligns with our mission by working to address the needs of vulnerable Victorians and advocating for positive social change in civil society.”

In a recent letter to About Time, a Victorian prisoner, Joe, wrote that the newspaper was having a positive impact on “all and sundry”.

“Your monthly publication offers us not only hope and solidarity but also a sense of dignity, and that is something that some have never experienced,” he wrote.

To find out more about the publication and read editions, visit www.abouttime.org.au