Shona Minson on BBC Radio 5 Live commenting on the impact imprisoning mothers has on their children.

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Shona Minson was part of a discussion on Radio 5 Live on the question 'Why are we failing the children of mums in prison?'

Listen to Shona discussing the issue on BBC 5 Live

She was interviewed by Nihal Arthanayake and there were also contributions from  the charity Children Heard and Seen which supports the children of prisoners, as well as children and mothers who have been affected by maternal imprisonment.

Shona co-leads the project 'Addressing the Impact of Maternal Imprisonment: Developing Collaborative Training' which analysed the place of children in maternal sentencing decisions in England and Wales.   The aim of the project was to provide information, in the form of films, to sentencers and legal professionals to aid consistency and understanding in maternal sentencing decisions. 

Funded by the ESRC and supported by the Prison Reform Trust Transforming Lives programme Shona has used her research findings to create information resources for all criminal justice professionals involved in adult sentencing decisions, to support sentencers’ understanding of the impacts of maternal imprisonment on children. The resource includes short films and briefing papers, which will be used across the criminal justice professions including by the Judicial College, Magistrates Association, Law Society, Criminal Bar Association and Probation services. 

In family law cases....a statute called 'The Children Act' applies...and the first point is that the child's best interests are of paramount consideration of the court....but whenever we separate children from parents in criminal court it seems like these children just don't matter.

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Family and Medical Law Research Group