I grew up believing gaol was for the bad guys; that view would have been further influenced by television rather than any reality in New Zealand; it was not something I gave a great deal of thought to.

One thing I can say now, is that in day-to-day life I have met more men who have been jailed on ‘domestic matters’ than criminal offences, but then again that may be only because there is a greater willingness to talk about the injustice of the ‘justice’ system.

A group calling themselves Justspeak describe themselves in the following way:

JustSpeak is a non-partisan network of young people speaking to, and speaking up for a new generation of thinkers who want change in our criminal justice system.

I have no personal experience of the group or any more than a superficial knowledge of their existence (formed 2011), so any relevant knowledgable comments would be welcome.

The group has released a report on re-thinking crime and punishment, called the Unlocking Prisons Report.

Reading their website the group appears more inclined to capturing the younger generation with a mind to producing a long term change.

I am sure there will be fathers reading this website who have lost children, especially boys, to the criminal justice system through separation and lack of male supervision.

I haven’t read the report, so I cannot comment further. It is available to download at the above link.

Are you a father whose child has gone off the rails after separation, and ended up in the criminal justice system?

What is your experience as a father, the on going relationship with your child once in gaol, and your lives afterwards?

Perhaps you ended up in trouble – do you think that wouldn’t have happened if your parents hadn’t separated?