麻豆社

A new report by Lord Michael Farmer for the Ministry of Justice suggests that family ties are 鈥榰tterly indispensable鈥� in the rehabilitation of female prisoners.
Some years ago I was on TV to discuss whether mothers should go to prison at all. The debate became passionately noisy: the men arguing that favouring parents was unfair; the women, that the welfare of children should be paramount.

The first purpose of prison is safety: if someone is a risk to others he or she must be restrained. But women鈥檚 violence is relatively rare. Around ninety percent of murderers are men, and eighty-four percent of women are imprisoned for non-violence: theft; fraud; non-payment of council tax. And yet even a few weeks鈥� custody could risk losing you your mother for ever.

So what about justice: the second purpose of prison? I was pulled off my bike for my handbag, and although almost unhurt, found myself very angry: the police said my mugger had taken me for someone much more vulnerable and his next victim would be. The youngest children in the playground rail if life isn鈥檛 fair, and something deep within us stirs when wrong goes uncorrected.

But if justice be our plea, consider this. Would we fare better in the circumstances? Over half of female offenders were first victims themselves, often of violence far worse than their own crimes. And even more female than male prisoners have suffered mental illness.

So woe betide us if we think to dispense true justice. Katie was eleven, and never even got to say goodbye. 鈥淚 felt like I鈥檇 been punished when my mum was sent to prison,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 done anything wrong.鈥� Ninety-five percent of children whose mothers go to prison have to leave their home. How is that fair?

We tried to help a young woman who鈥檇 lost access to all her children. At three am I was woken by her boyfriend telling me she鈥檇 taken my dearest mother鈥檚 most valuable jewellery. Thanks to their quarrel the police recovered it 鈥� though not before two tearful telephone calls from the perpetrator鈥檚 parent. I saw the PC鈥檚 disbelief when I declined to press charges. How could I punish my thief鈥檚 mother?

Perhaps Lord Farmer鈥檚 report is influenced not by just his Christianity but by a childhood with two alcoholics. Rehabilitation. The third purpose of prison. A kinder society. Prisoners able to maintain family ties are thirty-seven percent less likely to reoffend.

It鈥檚 hard to see what punishment for the sake of it achieves; and we seldom need protection from women. By contrast our daughter has two friends whose lives were turned around by custody, and now do much good to others.

Lord, they said to the Teacher. When were you in prison, and we did you a kindness?

Truly, truly, the king said: when you were compassionate unto the least of my sisters 鈥� or brothers 鈥� in prison, you were compassionate unto me.

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