The Valley: crime and punishment in a New Zealand city - Asher Emanuel

There were two days to Christmas and Lewis felt like everything was spinning out of control. He wondered what he would say to the judge this time. His client, Rikihana, was already on multiple shoplifting charges. What’s a few more? Lewis thought. These supermarkets were still making a killing.

It’s late 2020. Rikihana Wallace, a prolific shoplifter of no fixed abode, is back in prison with little chance of bail. Nathan Morley, unemployed, is facing burglary charges and hoping his other, as yet undetected, offences don’t catch up with him. Lewis Skerrett, their overstretched legal aid lawyer, is trying to do right by them both.

The culmination of over two years of field research and hundreds of hours of interviews, The Valley follows these three Hutt Valley men through courtrooms, prison, hospital, rehab, boarding houses and welfare offices. Told largely in verbatim dialogue, this up-close and personal account brings the realities of the New Zealand criminal justice system to life through the voices of those who experience it first-hand.

‘The Valley is an extraordinary psychodrama, untangling the justice system from its impacts on the people who witness it, work within it and are subject to it. Asher Emanuel has made a nationally important contribution to literary reportage, policy analysis and our collective understanding of class society.’ – Morgan Godfery 

‘This is a once-in-a-generation contribution to New Zealand writing about justice, class and wider society.The Valley combines meticulous reporting and deep thinking on the daily grind of the justice system. The result is a monumental book of stories that will stay with you long after you put it down.’ – Max Harris 

‘This is journalism at its finest – immersive, meticulous, honest and brave. Asher Emanuel brings the messy, gritty, unfair, uneven, imprecise human reality of the criminal justice system into the light. A unique and important new book for Aotearoa New Zealand.’ – Rebecca Macfie 

‘The public’s understanding of the criminal justice system is largely shaped by the media, which repeatedly amplifies the voices of politicians and the police. This book cuts through that distorted narrative by giving voice to those on the system’s frontlines.’ – Aaron Smale

'I've been thinking about it a lot ... I think it's going to be a really important book.' – Toby Manhire, Radio New Zealand 

Bridget Williams Books, 2026. Trade paperback with endnotes and glossary. 

Condition: new paperback.