Society should find new ways of letting mothers stay with their children rather than face imprisonment, the liaison bishop for prisons said last night.
Delivering the Prison Advice and Care Trust's annual Harold Hood Lecture, Bishop Richard Moth said that jailing mothers often puts intolerable strains on their children and the relatives who take over their care. He suggested the use of prison sentences for women was due for fresh consideration.
"There will be those who will argue that the thought of the effect of crime on family should be a deterrent to crime," he said, adding: "The impact on children of a mother in prison is hugely significant. Family members, such as grandparents, are often the carers for children and the imprisonment of a mother puts further strain on already stretched social services."
He described two cases where the jailing of a mother had left relatives struggling to cope, and said these were not isolated cases. "The family members of the prison population - and in particular their children - become victims of crime themselves. Their space, their dignity, is violated by the crimes of their parents."
Catholic parishes, he said, should be places of support, not judgement. He went on: "Children are often bullied at school and lives are lived out in fear ... There is still much to be done to overcome stigma and to enable families to maintain their dignity and place in the local community."
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