
Detention
A rookie teacher. The toughest prison school in Australia.
$30.83
- Paperback
304 pages
- Release Date
2 June 2026
Summary
What happens when your first teaching job isn’t in a classroom - but in juvenile detention?
When Ralph Jackman swapped his career as a sports reporter for life as a teacher, he expected yard duty and parent-teacher nights. Instead, he found himself behind the razor wire of Melbourne’s Parkville Youth Detention Centre, teaching literacy and numeracy to some of the nation’s most vulnerable and damaged boys.
This raw and powerful memoir takes you inside a world few educators ever…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781761471292 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1761471295 |
| Author: | Ralph Jackman |
| Publisher: | Allen & Unwin |
| Imprint: | Allen & Unwin |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 304 |
| Release Date: | 2 June 2026 |
| Weight: | 348g |
| Dimensions: | 25mm x 154mm x 234mm |

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Critics Review
Honest and courageous … This book is the report card we’ve all known was coming. – Gabbie Stroud, bestselling author of ‘Teacher’
A compelling account by a real insider of how Australia is failing some of its most vulnerable kids by locking them up. Jackman emerges not just as a teacher with real heart but as a fine storyteller. His passion and principles drive this exposé and urgent call for change. – Nick McKenzie, Gold Walkley Award–winning investigative journalist at The Age
What an incredible, raw, gut-wrenching and important book this is. * Readings *
Ralph Jackman
Ralph Jackman is a former broadcast journalist who spent many years in the field. He began his career as a sports reporter for ABC TV News in Perth, before moving on to work in London and New York. After his time in journalism, Jackman made a significant career change, transitioning from the newsroom to the classroom. His initial teaching position was at the Parkville Youth Justice Precinct, a maximum-security facility, an experience that profoundly impacted him. He currently resides in Melbourne with his family.
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