A powerful and moving memoir about how the youth detention system is letting down our most desperate and damaged kids, and how one rookie teacher fought the system on their behalf. Explosive, heart-breaking, inspiring.

'Honest and courageous . . . This book is the report card we've all known was coming.' - Gabbie Stroud, bestselling author of Teacher

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 see, both shocking and inspiring, with humour and heartbreak, and moments of connection that make teaching matter. But it's also the story of a system failing its most desperate kids - and a teacher who refused to look away.

Detention is more than one teacher's journey, it's a call to action for everyone who believes in the rights of all kids to have an education, even behind bars.

'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

'Jackman's debut memoir, Detention, pulls no punches as he describes the stark realities of teaching boys dealing with issues ranging from domestic violence to racism, poverty and gang crime. It's clear he fervently believes in the power of education, and reading about his crusade to connect with his students and change their lives is deeply affecting . . . This book is Jackman's courageous call to action. - Juliet Rieden, ABC Arts

'a powerful memoir . . . empathetic and compassionate' - Books + Publishing

Details

ISBN13: 9781761471292
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 304
Edition:
Publication Date: 02 Jun 2026
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication City, Country: Sydney, Australia
Dimensions (cm): 23.4(H)x15.3(L)348
Weight (gm): 348

Author Biography

Ralph Jackman was a broadcast journalist for many years, starting as a sports reporter for ABC TV News in Perth. Following stints in London and New York, he made a midlife career change, swapping the newsroom for the classroom. His first teaching job was inside the maximum-security Parkville Youth Justice Precinct, an experience that would change his life forever. He lives in Melbourne with his family.

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