For Julie*, the hardest part of her son's prison sentence was not being able to hug him - especially when he was feeling at his lowest in solitary confinement.
When she was allowed to meet with him, she held her hand up to the glass partition that separated them, but the coolness of the glass was a harsh reminder that his prison sentence was hers too.
Justin* was jailed for drug-related crimes, which Julie admits was his way of coping with his mental health issues which were only amplified by his father's suicide.
Living with significant mental health issues made Justin's stay in prison even more difficult, as forming friendships was almost impossible. He was regularly assaulted and excluded by his fellow inmates.
Not being able to protect him from bullies broke Julie's heart. She felt helpless until she realised that although her arms couldn't reach Justin inside his prison cell, her prayers certainly could.
And not just her prayers. Thanks to the help of prison chaplains from Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy, Julie recruited a prayer army to cover her son.
That didn't mean that his suffering ended overnight, but Julie took great comfort in knowing that God was with him and had a plan for his life.
And even though Julie couldn't walk inside the correctional centre, prison chaplains could. They were able to be her hands and feet on the inside, encouraging Justin in his faith and hosting weekly church services which he attended on Sundays.
"It's not easy being a Christian in prison," Julie said. "The other prisoners tend to target Christians and make their lives difficult. There's a lot of darkness in that place."
Julie has no doubt that the prayers and support of prison chaplains kept her son alive - and kept her hopes alive too.
"They can be there for our kids when we can't. As a mum, it's a comfort to know that someone's there with a kind word and a scripture when your child is feeling down and lonely," Julie said.
Now, Julie is keen to become a prison chaplain herself - so she can pay forward the kindness that was shown to her son.
You can partner with Inside Out Prison Chaplaincy, to ensure more people in prison are supported spiritually during their darkest days.
