Complex sentence: In his youth he spent time in boys homes and later sent to Boggo Road Jail It was in prison that he learned to read and write in a proper manner, before he turned to poetry as a form of release.
Split into simpler sentences: In his youth he spent time in boys homes and later sent to Boggo Road Gaol. While in prison Canning learned to read and write, before he turned to poetry as a form of release.