A response to Greg Barns’ item “Rodney Adler didn’t like jail. That was probably the point” – 5 December, 2007:

Dear Mr Barns,

If I were to respond to every negative article that I read about myself I would not have the time to work. However every so often an article is written that is so inaccurate a response is necessary. Your comments on Crikey about my recent article in The Bulletin necessitates a response.

Let me first point out that there is no difference between a “white collar” criminal and a “blue collar” criminal, not in the eyes of the law, nor in the eyes of the Department of Corrective Services. We live in the same jail – we eat the same food – we wear the same clothes.

I fully accept that jail was a punishment and that, by definition, it was not meant to be pleasant, but the “punishment” is going to jail, not to be degraded and humiliated once in jail. Why do you so readily accept and condone “brutality and bullying by prison officers is routine” – is this what you believe Australia is all about?

It may interest you to know that I was also locked up in prison cells for up to 18 hours a day – I was not in a low security jail for all of my time. In fact I spent one third of my time classified as “B”, living in Medium Security.

Your assumption that I was somehow singled out for the privilege of being offered a cooking course in jail is incorrect. In fact the course was offered to every prison inmate, but not many inmates accepted it.

You criticised my donation of The Bulletin’s contributor fee to a Jewish charity, because you felt Justice Action would have been a more appropriate recipient. It may interest you to know that the Jewish charity I chose, provides food packages to prison inmates.

I was paid for my article, like any other freelance journalist, based on word count. The “nice fat fee” you referred to was around $2,800. I do not know the exact amount as the funds were sent to my nominated charity, not to me.

When you say “What real prisoners write about” and in the same sentence state “In other words prisoners for whom no one speaks”, maybe if you look past your own preconceived beliefs you would realise that I was speaking for those for whom no one speaks and it is my profile and name that allows me to highlight the problems of prisoners. They are human beings that still deserve the human rights afforded to all.

Yours sincerely

Rodney Adler