Prison Dads

You're lying most of the time. "Daddy's going to be there soon."

I've still got 22 months left. "Daddy's going to be there soon."

I'm lying. I can't help it.

I don't know whether he knows I'm his dad yet.

Not having that bond really does feel horrible.

Glen Parva in Leicester,

the biggest young offenders' institution in Britain.

The prisoners here are five times more likely to be dads

than other young men their age.

Have you come to see your daddy?

Doggy!

I don't want to make him cry.

I'm missing out on too much time in my kid's life.

I'm willing to stop, I'm willing to change, I'm willing to try.

Aw! Nice(!)

Daddy allowed a Quaver?

The first time I met him, he was ten days old.

I spend a couple of hours with him, then he's taken away from me again.

Over six months, we follow fathers on the inside

and their partners on the outside

struggling to keep together their fledgling families.

I've been by myself for two and a half years.

I've already told him when he gets out,

he's got one chance and that's it.

Having a little boy feels like he's given me a bit of hope, really.

Once these few years are over,

I can go out and be a proper dad.

DOOR SLAMS SHUT

This programme contains some strong language.

Wakey-wakey!

You need to get up, son. What you doing?

Right then, boys!

Gaz?

20-year-old Michael Rowley is serving his third prison sentence

and knows the system well.

Today, he's helping to hand out prisoners' grocery orders.

One of one, two of two.

Everything you see in front of you is what people order for the week.

Their weekly shopping, innit.

It's their weekly shop.

Food, toiletries, Lynxes, Radox.

What one's the best?

Obviously, a Lynx.

Why obviously?

Because Lynx is a, is a...it's a decent shower gel, innit.

Aaarrgghh!

Aaarrgghh!

Michael also works in the wing's laundry room.

Everything in there is prison-issue.

I definitely ain't wearing these trousers.

No cuffs on the trousers either. The state of them, man!

I do not wear them prison-issue socks and boxers. That is a no-no.

I am not wearing the next man's boxers.

Them boxers probably been in the jail

since I was not even thought of.

Today, Michael's son Rhys is getting ready to visit his dad.

So how old is Rhys?

Um...

Oh, I always forget this, man. I'm not good at this.

He's about 17 months. 17 months.

-So were you in the actual room when he was born?

-Yeah.

Course.

Got to make sure I see him come out.

First thing, he comes straight to me.

What was that like?

Er...I don't know. Good, innit. It was good. It was amazing.

Obviously, seeing my son being born

and then getting to hold him straightaway.

What was it like seeing a woman give birth?

HE LAUGHS

It's sad. I don't know, man, I just...

Obviously, it's natural, innit? Obviously.

Oh, God! It's weird, though.

It's nasty, as well, at the end,

and you see all these things gushing out, like, ew!

Josie, Rhys' mum, met Michael when she was 15.

Hiya, sweetheart. Have you come to see your daddy?

She has spent most of their five-year relationship

visiting him in prison.

How old was Rhys when you came into prison?

About two, two and a half months.

Three, max.

17 months already and all of that time, I've been in jail.

'What do you feel you've missed out on?'

Everything. The whole lot.

I ain't never going to get the time to put him to sleep any more.

That's all gone now for good, that is.

And never seeing him do all his first words, trying to crawl.

All the funny baby stuff he's done.

None of that. I don't get to see that ever again now.

Yay!

This? This?

Give it to Daddy.

This. Ta.

What do you want?

'He was 16, or just turning 16.'

Crouched over that railing like he was some...

..cool man.

I had a lot of butterflies. It was weird.

I think I saw him as a person more than anyone else would see it, like.

People used to think, "Oh, yeah, he's a bad boy."

And I kind of saw his softer side.

Even though he doesn't like to admit he's got a soft side,

he thinks he can deal with anything, but he can't.

Not really.

I just thought he was cute.

-Wipe your mouth.

-Wipe your mouth, Rhys.

Good boy. And there. And there.

On you, on you. Do it to you. Do it to you.

He was always talking about children.

How many kids we're going to have. What we were going to call them.

Who it was going to look like.

In my head, I thought, "Oh, yeah, we're going to be a family.

"I'll be pregnant, going to get our own place together."

Mum, dad, son.

Just a general family.

And both be happy with each other.

'And what actually happened?'

'The opposite.'

Is that nice, Rhys?

What have you been doing today?

-Servery?

-Huh?

-Servery?

-Course, innit.

'He was seeing another woman behind my back.

'He'd had another kid with that woman.'

I'd just given birth when I found out...

..what was going on.

Um...

I wanted the ground to just eat me.

-SHE WHISPERS:

-Oh, man!

TANNOY BEEPS

Home time.

-Uh-oh!

-Uh-oh!

Wipe your face.

Come on, quickly, Rhys. Give Daddy a kiss.

He'd been in jail for 24 months before this conviction,

before I got pregnant with Rhys.

I waited the whole of them 24 months...

..for him to come out.

To think I'd got, like, the man of my dreams and all this.

And, like, "Ooh, yeah, I've got my perfect family,

"I'm going to have a baby with the man that I love," and all this.

And then it just comes crashing down, like.

It's not even a family any more.

SHE SIGHS

There's someone else there.

See you later.

Rhys?

Say bye-bye to Daddy.

Bye-bye.

Are you in a relationship with Josie?

Nah.

Not at the moment.

Kind of, but...

We are, yeah, but...

Obviously, I put my own self in the situation, yeah,

by doing what I did, messing around and that.

It's a mess. I don't talk about it.

I don't even think about it, I just leave it as it is.

20-year-old Michael Yorke has recently arrived at Glen Parva.

It's his first time in prison

and his girlfriend is expecting their first child.

It's still early days for me while I've been inside,

and I've only been in a few week and that, so...

That's probably why it's so hard,

cos it's so early and that.

But...

Suppose it'll be a bit better...

Well, it's not going to get better, is it? Get easier to deal with.

If my little boy was here, it would be all right.

I've got all faith that it's going to end well.

It's got to.

Michael's baby is due next month.

He calls his pregnant girlfriend every day.

At the end of the day, you've still got more than two weeks left.

Yeah. Should be this week, then.

She's sitting on, you know, like, a medicine ball?

She's going to bounce on one of them,

-she reckons she's going to do star jumps...

-Star jumps?!

What else? Taking these raspberry summat tablets,

which are supposed to help the baby come on.

I can't wait.

It's hard, though, doing it by herself, mate.

-When's the due date, man?

-Two weeks away, mate. Two weeks on Friday.

-She's feeling it already?

-Yeah.

The hospital says basically it's ready to come.

We'll see, lad.

It's been a year since my accident. A year today.

Been out drinking with my mates, drove home...

and didn't make it.

Two of my best mates lost their life,

down to my actions and that.

In October 2011,

Michael and three friends

were out clubbing on a Friday night in Leicester.

At 6:00am, after more than 12 hours of drinking,

Michael decided to drive them home.

He lost control of the car, killing his two best friends.

Michael was jailed for two counts of causing death by dangerous driving,

and sentenced to five years in prison.

-Morning. How are you doing?

-Not too bad.

-Yeah?

-OK. Do you want to go to the chapel?

-Yeah.

-Yeah? OK, we'll go down.

Today is the anniversary of their deaths.

-Did you get much sleep last night?

-No.

-No, I didn't think you would do.

Two people have put things on Facebook,

"Rest in peace, Sam and Matt."

A few people have put on that I didn't get long enough.

Every night I'll have a dream about it -

losing the rear end of the car and the impact of the crash.

Trying to push myself or trying to turn my head,

look for my car, couldn't see my car or nothing...

Just hearing Sam crying for his brother,

and his brother just obviously saying that "I can't get to him".

If I could choose out of having 25, 50 years in jail,

and not having the thoughts in my head,

I'd choose 50 years in jail, happily.

"Death leaves a heartache no-one can heal.

"Love leaves a memory no-one can steal.

"Rest in peace, Sam and Matt."

I'll never forgive myself for it. Never.

Oh, I loved them like brothers.

So...

Still hear of 'em.

OK, baby.

If you do go into labour tonight, yeah, good luck, baby.

It should have been me there, shouldn't it?

Right, I love you, baby.

Yeah, what were your first visit like?

I met him when he was ten days old, man,

in a family visit in a different jail.

Father Christmas were there. It was Christmas time.

-Were it? When's your... Your little boy's 5th of December?

-Yeah.

She just kind of walked over to me with this baby, man - "Here y'are"!

"Have him." Didn't know how to hold him or nothing.

Max has been in prison since before his son was born.

At 21, he's one of the oldest and longest-serving prisoners

in Glen Parva.

His son, Freddie, is now almost two.

As soon as you have them, you're no longer number one.

He is number one. He needs me to look after him.

He won't make the same mistakes I made.

That's for sure.

I was only 17.

I was with my mates and I started shouting at a bloke.

That's when it all kicked off.

I hit him to the floor and then...smashed his head to pieces.

You couldn't see his face. I thought I'd killed him.

I don't really want to talk about it, to be honest.

I mean...it's horrible.

I don't even know what it felt like at the time.

I just remember walking off.

Wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Five years. Five years in prison.

Today, Max's girlfriend Becca and their son, Freddie, are making

the two-hour journey to prison for their weekly visit.

He's not really old enough to understand where

he is actually going.

He's been doing it since he was ten days old

so he doesn't know any different.

I think it's important for him to see his dad and for them

to have a bond.

It's just not a very nice place to go.

20-year-old Becca met Max when she was 17.

He's been in prison for almost two of the three years

they've been together.

The majority are all young girls coming to see their boyfriends

with their little babies, toddlers.

I don't agree with it, but, then again, it's not down to me.

It's down to the mums that bring them in.

They've got to see their dad or whatever relation.

To me, a prison isn't somewhere a child should be brought in.

They're irresponsible.

I'm young myself, so I don't want to sound patronising,

-but it's kids having kids.

-One-parent families, aren't they?

They've got no contact with their dad.

They see them once a week if they are lucky.

You know, it's just sad.

-Rebecca?

-Yeah.

-Freddie with you?

-Yeah.

'It's a pain in the arse for her, travelling up here, getting searched.

'Going through all this crap that she doesn't need to go through.

'Every week for the last two years.'

Because of me.

-You all right?

-Yup.

-Has he gone to the kitchen?

-Huh?

-Has he gone into the kitchen?

-No. He's in the little house.

Just think, not this year, but the year after,

-I'll spend your birthday with you.

-I know.

You will have missed my 18th, 19th and 21st birthdays

being in here.

-You missed my 21st and my 20th.

-That's not my fault, is it?

It's your fault.

'We'd only been together for about seven or eight

'months before I got pregnant.

'Max got sent to prison two months before Freddie was born.'

How did you feel?

Worried and scared and shocked.

Knowing that I was about to do it for two and a half years,

all by myself.

He looks more like me than you, doesn't he?

Yeah.

Do you look more like your daddy?

I missed out going to uni like a normal 18-year-old.

I am going to go next year,

but I can't live in halls and have a student life like everyone else.

I've had to put everything on hold for a few years.

Come here.

Love you, Freddie. Little squirt.

-Bye-bye.

-I'll speak to you tomorrow.

-I'll ring you tomorrow.

-Love you.

-Love you.

Bye, bye, bye.

I was an arsehole to do what I've done. I was 17 years old, a big man.

I've only got myself to blame for that.

It makes me angry when I think about it, to be honest.

Being in here...

I've fucked my life up, kind of thing.

I could have gone to college. I could have done a lot of stuff.

But I didn't. I've come to prison.

How you are you doing, Michael?

Do you want to give your family a call? Yeah?

Michael's baby is due in less than a week.

His girlfriend's family have sent an urgent message for him to call.

Hello?

You're joking!

Is she all right?

Right.

Can you see the head? Do you want me to ring you back at two?

All right, cheers. All right. Thank you, Nicola. Give her my love.

All right. I'll see you later. Bye.

She's in labour. They can see the head.

The midwife reckons she'll be back in ten minutes.

Cheers.

What?

INAUDIBLE DISTANT VOICE

Huh? My missus is in labour now, bro.

Yeah.

Ten minutes later,

officers allow Michael to call his girlfriend again.

Is he here? Yeah? Is he all right?

Are you all right?

I'm sorry, you know.

When is he getting weighed?

So are you both all right?

Good.

I'm glad you're happy.

At least there is... All right.

I love you.

When she first answered the phone, he was about five minutes old.

I've got a little boy now. I could hear him crying in the back.

My family's started now.

So...

I just wish I weren't here.

I should be there for her. I should be there for both of them.

-Shut my door, please.

-Has she had it yet?

-Yes, she has.

-What did she have?

-A little boy.

-Oh, well done.

-Nice one, cheers.

-What is it?

-Crumble.

-Crumble and custard.

-Oh, no!

8lbs 11. Massive. I just want to see him, innit?

There is only 22 people left. Two people are going without Bingos.

It's the famous chocolate bar. Everybody loves a Bingo.

-Young dad Ramone works on the wing servery.

-I've given too many out.

INAUDIBLE

Ramone's daughter is being looked after by her grandfather,

who has never brought her to visit.

When my baby mum was pregnant, I was committing crime.

When my daughter was born, I was committing crime.

I've had a criminal record since the age of 13.

I've been in jail 26 months. I've not got to see my daughter once.

I blame them. I blame the baby mum and I blame her dad as well.

But me, I blame myself really because, to the bigger picture,

it is me.

They didn't put me in jail. I put myself in jail.

I don't do nothing myself.

I don't put any food on the table, no clothes on her back.

Nothing like that. I'm 22 years old

and another man's providing for my daughter.

It's scummy, that's what it is. It's scummy.

-You've had three doughnuts.

-I've had one.

-I've had no doughnuts.

Some dads choose not to have their children visit.

Stephen hasn't seen his daughters for almost two years.

It weren't like that anyway. I was in good relationships.

I had a job and that.

Obviously, things can go tits-up in an instant.

And that's what happened both times.

-Two?

-Two girls.

-How old are they?

-Five and two.

-I bet you miss them.

Like mad.

When you get out, you got to make up for the time.

I've got a lot of time to make up.

-Do they come and visit?

-No. I don't want them visiting me.

Not nice for them or me.

-I phone a lot.

-Where do they think you are?

-Naughty holiday.

A naughty holiday? That's a different one.

I don't want her to know because she's at that age

when she'll go to school and tell everybody.

It works. She doesn't read anything into it.

She just says "You need to stop being naughty, Daddy."

-Is that what she says?

-Yeah.

"If you're not naughty, you don't have to go on naughty holiday."

Prisoners who stay in touch with their children are less

likely to reoffend.

To help maintain contact, there are special family

visits for prisoners like Max who have been well-behaved.

-BABY BURPS

-Oh, nice!

MAX LAUGHS

Unlike regular visits, Max can play freely with Freddie

and doesn't have to stay seated.

"He has knobbly knees and turned-out toes,

"and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose."

Prisoners can also keep in touch with their kids

by recording bedtime stories to be sent home.

"Silly old owl. Doesn't he know

"there's no such thing as a gruffalo?

"But who is this creature with the terrible claws

"and the terrible teeth in his terrible jaws?"

' "He has knobbly knees and turned-out toes

' "and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose.

' "His eyes are orange, his tongue is black

' "and he has purple prickles all over his back." '

Did your dad ever read you stories?

No. I don't know my dad.

What was good about your childhood?

I put all that behind me. I don't like thinking about it.

It's old news now, innit. I'm away from that now already.

Forgot about it. Don't want remember about it any more.

Don't feel like a man.

It's hard for me to feel sad.

-HE LAUGHS

-Yeah...

It's hard for me to feel something.

-Why?

-Because I've never been shown it or felt it myself. That's why.

Michael York is also estranged from his dad,

who was in prison when he was growing up.

'When he were in jail, he'd ring up on 24th August

'and say happy birthday and that, which is the day after my birthday.

'Didn't even know my birthday.'

I don't want to be nothing like my real dad.

Nothing like my biological father.

Nothing.

But being in here just makes me...

Just makes me feel more like him every day.

I've done some of the things that my dad had done.

I behave and act and think, probably, the way my dad does,

and I look...50% like my dad.

That's good, really, cos I don't want to be nothing like the twat.

What kind of dad do you want to be, though?

I don't know. I just want to be the best dad I can be.

Michael splits visits between his two sons from different mothers.

Today, he's with his youngest, Kai.

-'Do you remember the day that Kai was born?'

-'Yep.'

'Obviously I had a good feeling, yeah, but I was pissed off.

Sitting in jail, not getting to see it and that,

I jumped straight on the phone and I heard him in the background,

screaming.

Another baby boy.

-HE WHISPERS:

-Boy.

Dad of two.

Dad of two amazing little boys.

Just what I wanted.

'Living in jail, it's not the way forward, do you get me?

'I need to fix up now, and get a job.

'Missing out too much time with my kids' life, man.'

Even though I said that the last time, it didn't plan out that way.

But this time...

determined.

I'll do it this time, I will. I know I will...

Not coming back, man. Staying out there for my kids, I am.

That's sort of all I've got stuck in my head now...is just...

the family. Family is what matter.

So I'll be there for them, no matter what.

Even if I am behind a few walls.

I'll have my day when I get released

and I'll be able to do whatever... Whatever they want.

I've got... I'll have two years of making up to do, so...

Well, two and a half years of making up to do, so...

So a lot of presents coming... the kids' way.

SHOUTING

To help prepare them for life outside,

young offenders are encouraged to take part in work or education.

With seven months left to serve,

Max has already passed five education courses,

got seven training certificates and worked in ten different prison jobs.

-And prison number?

-A98-62.

He is now the only prisoner trusted to work outside the jail,

and has a job on a local golf course.

All right.

I've worked for it. If you fight the system you don't get this, do ya?

If you work with it, then...

..you get rewarded.

-Did you have a job on the outside, Max?

-Loads of different jobs.

Apprentice tree surgeon...

I've worked on the bins, worked in factories, worked as a chef.

-And what do you hope to do?

-Start my own business in gardening.

Landscape gardening, bit of tree surgeon...

..fingers crossed.

Max is released each morning at eight

and must be back behind bars by 5.15pm.

Running off and getting to be with my son, my missus, like.

That goes through my head every day. But if I did run away...

..I wouldn't have my family.

So family's at stake, really, innit?

It's the most important thing to anyone.

-Did you ever have a job when you were out on the outside, Michael?

-Nope.

Full-time criminal.

HE SIGHS

How come you never had a job, then, Michael?

Cos nobody would like to employ me.

I've done better what I've done in jail

than what I did on the outside,

so I started jamming with certain people...

..then just started smoking...

drinking...

..and then that's it. Life went down the drain for a few years.

And then I ended up in jail.

And then I end up in jail again, and that's the way that I am now.

Yeah...

That's the front page...

"Stabbed and left for dead."

"Man victim of teenage centre attack by teenage robbers.

"This was the horrific moment an innocent reveller

"was stabbed by two teenage thugs who tried to rob him

"in the heart of Birmingham city centre."

'Just turning about 16.'

Obviously now I look back and think that was fucked. Do you get me?

I'm not proud of what I done

but obviously I made a choice to do something

and, therefore, ended up here,

therefore I'm dealing with the situation. You get me?

Do you think you'll tell your kids one day what you did?

-Yeah, of course I will.

-What will you tell them?

Tell them, Daddy went jail, innit?

Daddy was a fucking little crackhead.

Fucking about on the street like a dumb little twat.

Max has applied to spend a weekend at home with Becca and Freddie.

Home leave can help prisoners readjust to family life.

But it hasn't been granted at Glen Parva for more than five years.

Max must argue his case in front of a governor.

I want to build that bond with my son

because I've been in prison since he was born, before he was born,

so I've never actually been able to tuck him into bed,

read him a story or actually spend a full day with him, so...

-OK.

-Just building a better bond with my son, really.

-Brief...offence details.

-Mm-hm.

Max was in the company of six other males of a similar age.

Er, attacked a victim while journeying home.

Himself and the associate had all been drinking...

..and it just appears that the whole lot of them

have ganged up on this one gentleman.

It makes it sound a lot worse on there, to be honest. But, erm...

Like, come up in my face and at this point, my mate hit him.

All three of us were scuffling and...

it just got out of hand, to be honest.

-Max, you got five years...

-Yeah.

-..for GBH with intent.

-So let's not try and minimise that.

-Yeah.

-OK?

And on that note,

I'm going to ask that you disappear for a little while

cos we're going to talk about you.

-OK, miss, I'll go.

-OK.

-Shall I put him in the holding?

-Yeah.

-Thank you very much.

-All right.

It's a period of home leave. Does he actually need it?

He's only been in jail for two years.

I do appreciate that he is a young man

and two years is an awful long time.

I understand that but that wouldn't be, for me, a reason

to him let go home for the weekend.

And he will be getting released in a handful of months

and will, very, very quickly be Dad.

Everything so far has all been good for Max.

You know, he's been in charge of his own destiny,

he's had excellent support from his offender manager

and from his unit staff.

Doesn't seem to have been faced with many stressful situations.

How would he react in that?

I have to be 100% sure that if there was an abscond,

that the risk to the public is nil.

I just want to tuck my son into bed, read him a story

and just watch him fall asleep.

I've wanted to do that since he was born, like.

Well, I got it.

Max's home leave has been approved.

With his continued record of good behaviour,

the governor has ruled that he can be trusted.

-Not this weekend.

-'Yeah.'

-Next weekend.

-'So, it's for definite?'

-Yeah.

-'That's good then.'

-Yeah.

-'Yeah.'

-Are you happy?

-'Yeah.'

You'll have to get the shopping in then, won't you?

This will be the first time Max has spent more than just a few hours

with Becca and Freddie in two years.

I am looking forward to it but I'm a bit nervous

-cos I don't know how it's going to be.

-He hasn't been home in ages.

No, he's not been home for two years so, yeah. It's going to be weird.

Well, I feel like because he has been away for so long,

he has got a lot of making up to do so he will be doing,

-like, the cooking and stuff and cleaning and...

-Helping out a lot.

-Taking Freddie out.

-And you can relax.

-Yeah.

A bit nervous, to be honest.

Nervous and happy because I get to see my son and my missus but

nervous that they might not be ready for me to come home, kind of thing.

Been without me for two years and it'll be a big shock to them,

won't it, having me back?

She thinks of me as being that 19-year-old that will punch

anyone's head in for no reason, kind of thing.

Whereas now I think about things a bit more. Grown up and that.

Do you think you have grown apart?

Yeah.

But I think we have both invested too much in each other to

just give it up though.

How is it with you and Josie at the moment?

-Is it OK?

-I don't know, it's a bit...

-It's what? A bit messed up?

-Same as usual.

-Same as usual. OK. I won't ask any more questions then.

I kind of know the answer to that.

Michael Rowley is due to be released in one week's time.

He has been called for a meeting

to help prepare him for life on the outside.

-So, are you in a relationship with anybody?

-No.

-Not in a relationship.

-No.

What are your plans in relation to, you know,

-maintaining your relationships and...

-Basically, just...

..keeping everybody happy.

When I get out of here, what I'm basing on, yeah,

is just getting myself straight, yeah,

and just, basically, just having time with my kids and that, really.

That's what I plan on doing and that.

To just try and get on the straight and narrow, hold my head down.

Obviously, trying to get into work, yeah, so I can keep my head straight

and, obviously, it's just all about my kids

when I get out and nothing else, man.

I hope they see each other, like, a lot.

I don't know. That all depends on, like, Michael, really,

and, like, the door is open for him to see his Rhys.

He has got to want to do it but I believe that he will anyway.

He ain't really had a chance to be a father while he is in jail

and I know that it's, like, he don't like the fact that he has not

had that chance with Rhys

so I think he'll be a good father.

'Ideally, if I could choose,

'we would be a family cos any mum would want that for their child.'

What is your current situation with your relationship with him?

Different. I don't... I can't think of a word.

It's like there is something there but it's just not.

Like, cooling off, kind of thing.

Or what you would class as, like, a break.

-My little man's going nursery soon and that.

-First year at school.

You are a proper angel as well when you are younger you are proper

-good and when you start growing up you just...

-Fade away.

Fade away like I did.

I wish I could go back to school. School years was good.

-They were the days.

-I wish I could go back.

They always say that, you know. "When you leave school,

"you are all going to be wishing that you want to go back."

That's what I say to my little brother.

Thinking, "No, you're mad. I'm not going back to school."

Now when you grow up and think, "I got no qualifications."

-It would have been mad funny.

-Going to get a shit job.

It would have been sick. You could have done football or something.

If I would have stuck at school, I could have been on 2012 Olympics.

I'm telling you one thing, I would not never be here.

I didn't even get no exams, do no GCSEs. That's how bad that is.

Standard. I ain't got no GCSEs, really, except for that one.

It's not even a proper GCSE, really, to be honest with you.

-I done it in jail. Can't class it as a GCSE.

-What is it?

I done Olympic lifting, fitness and balanced diets and all that.

I got A-star in that.

What do you hope Rhys is like?

-Do you want his teenage years to be different to yours?

-Of course.

No messing about.

Obviously, he is going to do what he's going to do, you get me?

I can't, literally, stop him, yeah,

but obviously I'm going to try my best, like, to show him the right

way, like, get me, show him things that he should be doing and that.

No committing crime, no doing drugs.

Obviously, alcohol is a minor but, obviously, anything else, no.

Max is about to leave the prison for his weekend release.

You are going to be a model prisoner, right, so if you do anything

-wrong it will come bad back on you and on the establishment.

-Yeah.

You're not supposed to be in possession of a mobile phone.

-But I am ringing you off a landline.

-Yeah. And no driving.

Certainly no offending and, again, we have got the, you know,

web pages, Facebook, social networking, Twitter,

anything like that - you are not allowed any of that. All right?

You do know that this is an absolute...

I have never done this before at Glen Parva, OK?

-You know this is an absolute privilege for you?

-Yeah.

-So, please, don't mess it up...

-I won't.

..and use it for the purpose that you have applied.

-Yeah.

-Well done for getting it.

-Thank you very much.

-Right,

-you need to go back in this way cos you need to get searched.

-Cheers.

Freddie, look.

Let him do it himself or he's going to rub it all over his face.

Look, he is trying to hide from you.

It's going everywhere now.

He is playing hide and seek with his dinner.

Don't wipe his face. He'll have a fit. He doesn't like it.

We'll leave that to the end, shall we?

He has changed a nappy and he has played with him a little bit

but that's about it.

What is your assessment?

Yeah, he's getting there.

I've got a bit more work to do yet though.

And you can give him the yoghurt so I can go run a bath.

Don't get him out of the highchair until I come back down.

Where's the Petit Filous?

Can you watch he doesn't choke as well?

-Becca.

-What? Behind you.

-Where's the spoons?

-Where the spoons are.

What do you mean where the spoons are? I haven't been here.

Get one from the washing up bit, the drying bit.

-Pour this over his head?

-No, he will freak out. He doesn't like it.

He is scared of it so don't.

# Da-dum... #

Don't scare him.

# Da-dum. #

Are you going up high?

I love you. Take care.

-See you soon.

-Yeah, give him this one. I love you.

-I love you. Bye.

No good coming back though, is it?

Go and get your kit off.

Yeah, I need clothes off. You all right, mate?

Brace yourself.

I gave her a cuddle and that outside the prison.

Had a little chat with her and that.

But then when the gate opened, I walked in and the gate shut

and I seen on CCTV and she's driving away, that's when it fucking hit me.

I just thought, "Fuck."

It was horrible.

It was worse than getting sent down in the first place, to be honest.

I just miss them. I miss them already.

As soon as that gate closed, that's it, they're cut off from me.

You know, it's just horrible.

She is struggling for my mistakes, kind of thing.

She hasn't done anything bad but she is being punished as well.

So...it's harder on her than it is on me.

I suppose it's just reaffirmed that it's what we want

and we need to just wait a few more months and...

..then we can start properly.

The weekend was a bit of a test run to see what is to come.

-And does it bode well?

-Yeah.

Today Michael Rowley is being released on licence

after serving 15 months in prison.

He must live with his mum and obey a strict 9pm curfew.

I ain't even trying to come back to jail.

That is definitely not the case.

Who knows, you get me? Who knows?

I don't even know myself. You get me? I don't know myself.

Me saying it and doing it is another thing.

In a bit, Connor. I'll meet you outside.

In a bit, boss. In a bit, Miss Hawley, Mr Hayes.

All right, son, see you later.

Listen, about half ten, right?

In a bit.

'One, obviously, the main thing is don't get caught,

'no matter what you do. Or you just stop doing it, you get me?'

'I am going to try and stop. I know I can.'

Michael has arranged for the mother of his youngest son, Kai,

to collect him from prison.

His other son, Rhys, and Josie are waiting at Michael's mum's

house, where he has agreed to meet them before 3pm.

Where's Daddy, Rhys? Where's Daddy?

Gone to Mars.

Is Daddy a pain?

Hmm?

Rhys. Shut the door. See you later.

Three hours later, Michael still hasn't turned up or called.

Josie takes Rhys home.

Finally, he arrives at his mum's house just before his 9pm curfew.

It's not easy, man.

You've just got to remember, you've got two kids.

You've got time that's got to be shared between both of them.

I know that. I'm going to see Rhys tomorrow.

They come first with everything else.

It's not you, your boys or anybody else.

It's your probation and your kids.

I just want a couple of days to hurry up and go past, man,

so I stop feeling weird and that.

Head's spinning and that and it's not even from the drink.

When are you planning on speaking to Josie?

I'll phone her in a bit, man.

I'm not even in the mood at the moment.

I just want to chill out, like. Time is going like this.

Well, it will do, Michael. It's not like inside now.

You have got all day but time does go quick when you have got

-so many things to do.

-You've not even got all day when

everything is hitting you at 100 miles an hour.

I kind of had a feeling in the back of my head that he wouldn't show

and he didn't so it proved me right

when really he should have proved me wrong.

But I would have thought, at least, Rhys would have been his,

like, first priority as well as Kai, but obviously no.

He has got other things he feels he needs to do before seeing Rhys

and he is all like, "Dada? Dada?"

And I'm like, "Yeah, we are going to see Daddy now."

And he is like, "Hmm." The little actions he does.

And, obviously, he hasn't seen his Dada so...

Michael did come to visit Rhys the following day.

Three months on, he continues to see his son but on his own terms.

And how are you managing to divide your time, Michael,

between your two kids?

It's hard still.

Have there been times when you're supposed to come to see Rhys

-that you haven't managed to make it?

-Mm-hm.

Obviously, it's just fucked, isn't it?

Obviously, it's my fault, isn't it?

Did you ever have the experience of your dad not turning up to see you?

Mm-hm. You really expect your dad to come and he don't come

and, obviously, you get pissed off, innit?

-But what do you plan to do from here on in?

-Try and make it better.

He needs to figure himself out cos I truly don't believe that he

knows who he is or what he wants and what he wants out of life.

And he has got two kids and he's like, "What do I do?"

I don't want anyone to walk all over me.

Like, it's still upsetting but you just don't think about it as much

cos I'm not living in it any more.

That's not my life any more.

'Like, this is my life. Me being happy - that's all that matters.'

I'm doing me.

-Thank you.

-All right, mate.

After two years in jail, Max is being transferred to an open prison

where he will serve the last five months of his sentence.

'It feels like the next step in the chain, really, doesn't it?

'Being at home with my missus and my son.

'Closer in distance and closer as in, like, being free.'

In a year we'll both be spending our first Christmas together

and I will be at uni and Freddie will be in nursery

and hopefully Max will be working

and we'll just be like a normal family.

Michael York still has 20 months of his sentence left to serve.

He and his girlfriend broke up

shortly after the birth of their child.

I seen my son once when he were two days old.

She's not put my name on the birth certificate.

It's just another thing so I've got no rights to him.

Obviously, all I can do now is just try my hardest

and do whatever I can for him.

He is always in my heart, always in my mind so...

..nothing will ever take that away.

Nothing, no matter what he does in life...

..he will still be my little boy.

Nothing is going to stop me having a relationship with my son.

Not going to happen. My son is my son, so...

..that's how it's going to be.

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