This means that, on average, the courts hand down a prison term to a mother of young children once every nine weeks.
The figures were set out by the States’ Committee for Home Affairs in reply to written questions from Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller. Her questions were about mums and mums-to-be in prison and the rights of children.
Unlike some jurisdictions, Guernsey has no facilities for young children to live with mothers serving jail terms or for pregnant prisoners to remain with their new-born babies once they have given birth.
Pictured: Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller asked questions of the Committee for Home Affairs after concerns were raised with deputies about the jailing of mums and mums-to-be and the facilities available for them.
Deputy Rob Prow, President of the Committee for Home Affairs, said that the Prison can accommodate daytime visits for babies and mothers to be together.
“The Prison offers mothers daily contact with their baby in The Cabin facility,” said Deputy Prow.
“The Prison is able to accommodate the baby being brought to the Prison during the core working day period (approx. 09:15 – 16:00 each day). This arrangement requires the approval of Children Services and the carer in the community to be able and willing to bring the child in each morning and return to collect them each afternoon.
“The baby is not able to remain in the Prison overnight and does not spend any time in the main body of the Prison but remains in the specialist family facility.”
In several questions, Deputy Kazantseva-Miller pressed the Committee on the relationship between sentencing policy and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the States said last year had been formally extended to Guernsey. But the Committee consistently repeated the traditional position taken by the States and said: “Under the separation of powers, sentencing is not a matter for the Committee for Home Affairs, neither is it a political one, rather it is a matter for the courts.”
Deputy Prow explained the procedures for women prisoners who are pregnant and give birth while still serving their sentence.
Pictured: The Committee for Home Affairs is carrying out a review of the Bailiwick’s justice policies. The indications are that the Committee does not envisage the States taking a more active role in sentencing policy. In reply to written questions, the Committee’s President, Deputy Rob Prow, consistently said that sentencing is for the courts only.
“Pregnant prisoners are able to access ante-natal appointments in the Prison Healthcare Department if appropriate but escorts to Loveridge Ward can also be facilitated,” said Deputy Prow.
“Healthcare professionals are invited to book appointments in the Prison at the same frequency as they would [if] the female [was] in the community. A pre-birth planning meeting is convened in each case and this meeting is attended by the mother, Prison staff, midwifery services and Children Services.
“The mother is escorted to Loveridge Ward for the labour and necessary period of post-natal care (with accompanying Prison officers). Arrangements are individually risk assessed and the mother is located in a private room on the ward as far as is possible and approved, immediate family members permitted to visit. Post-natal appointments for mother and baby are facilitated in the Prison or by external appointment if necessary.
“A mother in custody receives the same midwifery advice as she would if she were in the community and breastfeeding is generally promoted as being best for baby. If mother chooses and is able to breastfeed, the Prison provides the necessary equipment for the mother to continue breastfeeding on return to the Prison.
“During periods of separation from the child, the mother will be given support to express and appropriately store breast milk which can be handed out to the carer of the child in the community. Mothers are able to breastfeed during contact with the baby in Prison.”
Pictured: The main entrance at Guernsey Prison, which in the past seven years has accommodated 40 mums with children under 18.
