Mothers and Prison

This summary, taken from the Doctoral research of the author, extracts the key recommendations and findings from the original research. The report focus is on the Mothers' voices and the way forward. The report centers on the descriptions of the 43 mothers who contributed to the study, and who through letters and interviews revealed the significant impact of maternal imprisonment. The report reveals the missed and lost opportunities to support mothers and motherhood before, during, and after prison. The mothers powerfully describe their pain and challenges through their criminal justice journeys and beyond. Many mothers and grandmothers describe how they and their children and grandchildren continue to be deeply affected by maternal imprisonment, sometimes even decades post-release. The mothers reveal how their maternal identity, their maternal emotions, and their maternal experiences intertwine with their experiences of the criminal justice system and how ultimately this has relevance to their rehabilitation and desistance. The report concludes with recommendations for policy and practice change that if implemented would make a significant difference in the lives of criminalised mothers and their children.

This article critically discusses  sentencing decisions and process in relation to women, specifically mothers.It reflects on the failure of Sentencers to take into account guidance as per the HRA article 8 rights of the child.The article introduces a brief outline of proposals for positive change that are being developed in a forthcoming article . The article also highlights the rise in the female prison population and reflects on the appropriateness of custodial sentences for  non serious offences.

This paper explores the recent PRT paper on the sentencing of mothers- highlighting and summarizing the recommendations and how they may be achieved. The paper highlights the need to take heed of these recommendations -  recommendations which echo many that have been identified as 'the way forward'  before . The report  and the article concludes with the view that positive change cannot be delayed any longer in order to avert ongoing use of unnecessary custodial sentences for women  and the subsequent negative impact this has on  society , the women themselves ,families, in particular ,often already vulnerable children.