Detention

Name: Detention
Brand: Allen & Unwin
Price: 29.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder

A rookie teacher. The toughest prison school in Australia.

By: Ralph Jackman

Write A Review

Paperback | 2 June 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
304 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.3

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$29.99

14%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $7.50 with

Available: 2nd June 2026

Preorder. Will ship when available.

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.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $0.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.