Former Australian soldier Damien Linnane was sentenced to two years in prison in NSW in 2015 for crimes the sentencing magistrate described as an act of vigilantism. Even though the court accepting that Linnane's disability and mental health were directly related to his offence, he was denied any form of rehabilitation or therapy while in custody. Despite the lack of services provided in prisons, Linnane chose to view his imprisonment as a opportunity rather than a punishment, spending the first half of his sentence writing a crime novel by hand, and the second half teaching himself to draw. His novel, Scarred, was published by Tenth Street Press in 2019, and was shortlisted for the Adaptable program run by the Queensland Writers Centre. In 2021, Linnane was hired by Penguin Random House US to illustrate the book This Is Ear Hustle.
Frustrated by the lack of mental health services available in prison, Linnane commenced a PhD in law through the University of Newcastle in 2022, which focuses on exploring the needs and experiences of incarcerated people's access to healthcare, and advocating for change. Linnane also works as the editor of Paper Chained, an art and writing magazine for people in prison, and campaigns for better rights for incarcerated people and involuntary mental health patients.
