Prison is about locking people up - but 1 year, 6 years from now inmates are re-entering society.
The reality is prison institutionalises, isolates and disengages people from the real world.
It turns people out worse than what they went in - worse in a way that means they’re likely to offend again.
So how do we ensure they’re coming back better than when they went in?
We've got one idea; a free street press called
Head Miles - a term used by inmates referring to the mental marathon run whilst serving their sentence. It’s the Big Issue meets Sneeky - free, cool, interesting - with a bent for social good and positive change.
Head Miles is a counterbalance to the punishment side of prison, concentrating on self-development through an exchange between inmates and the outside.
“The community isn’t some nebulous group. In the end as we relate to one individual at a time and that's what makes a difference. Developing a relationship with people in the community and showing
them we're deserving of a chance.”
- Inmate, incarcerated University Professor
The exchange will happen through contributions from inmates and people on the outside, including artworks, writing, interviews, stories of
triumph, struggle, humour, humility, apology, expert advice on everything from Hepatitis C to dating advice.
Head Miles is edgy and contemporary and it has social impact. This isn’t a charity case, there are loads of genuinely talented inmates in gaol!
There will also be a section for inmates and the outside to respond to questions raised by each group. This is designed to build connections because
“It’s easier to offend against a community you don’t feel part of.”
- Inmate, incarcerated young Indigenous man
What will Head Miles do?
1) Run workshops with inmates to produce content for the magazine promoting peer-to-peer skill sharing, and purposeful socialisation between inmates and with staff
2) Raise self-esteem and pride amongst inmates when their work is published in a high quality publication, these are fundamental for fostering positive contributions
to the world! You tell someone they’re nothing but a criminal enough times and they’ll start to believe it. And behave like it.
3) Open the door for understanding in the wider community - empathy not sympathy or judgement.
4) Be inmate driven - giving them a chance to counteract the institutionalisation of prison and be self-determining, invaluable for helping
them re-enter society
5) Change people’s perception of the average inmate - inside is diverse as our own communities! Plus creating an alternate and more accurate
picture of gaol to what is seen on TV.
How are we going to do it?
We're Jordan and Julia - dream team, lovers, best friends and we loooooove what we’re doing!
1)
Past success; Jordan and Julia rolled out TURF, another community and cultural development project in public housing, with minimal resources and maximum success
2)
Persistence; Jordan’s passion for self-development through creativity in prison is best highlighted by the fact that she badgered the gaol for 2 years until they finally relented allowing her to shoot her documentary.
3)
Dedication; Julia begun the writers group at the gaol, the jumping off point for a radio documentary and the zine. Julia and Jordan have invested months of unpaid work to facilitate workshops, produce the zine and fan the embers of Head Miles.
With infinite tenacity and applying learnings from past projects, failing fast to learn quickly, we're in a unique position to make this happen.
On top of the inmate support we’ll be working with a team of awesome including trailblazers Gerome and Rodney who work inside the prison, Bruce from Hep NSW
who has experience in publishing as editor for Transmission Magazine, Monique our graphic designer extraordinaire and marketing experts to make sure we nail it.
Head Miles is a pilot issue, one that we’ll iterate and make better and better if it works.
“To publish our writing and art shows redemption is possible in a society that has a loathing and fear of those caught up in our prison system. Beauty can be found in the most surprising places if you look.”
- Inmate, Incarcerated TV Producer