Rules of Confinement :Time for Changing the Game

The female prison population has more than doubled since 1995 - with currently around 12.500 women sentenced to custody annually resulting in around 18-20000 children a year being affected by maternal incarceration. Sixty six percent of women sentenced to custody are mothers of children under 18 ( Prison Reform Trust) , and only 5% of children remain in their own home following their mothers sentencing. This article seeks to highlight the issue , referencing Human Rights Guidelines which are currently largely being ignored by the sentencing courts. The article further seeks to introduce proposal for change - which if implemented will significantly reduce the numeber of mothers sentenced to custody.