March 18th 2023.
Today, a multi-generational protest was held on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, with parents, babies and children demanding an end to the imprisonment of pregnant women.
Armed with signs, the group sang nursery rhymes in the London drizzle, with the babies wearing yellow and green in honor of Mother's Day.
The event was organised by Level Up and No Births Behind Bars campaign groups, who have been working to bring attention to the need for a stop to imprisoning pregnant women.
Janey Starling, co-director of Level Up, declared that prison is no safe place to be pregnant and that the courts have the power to prevent the harm prison can cause pregnant women, new mothers and babies.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) The Royal College of Midwives has backed the calls made,
and after the death of a baby at HMP Bronzefield in 2019, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Ombudsman has deemed that all pregnancies in prison are 'high risk by virtue of the fact that the woman is locked behind a door for a significant amount of time'.
The Sentencing Council, which is based at the Royal Courts of Justice, have committed to review whether new guidance on sentencing pregnant women is needed.
Women represent around 4% of the total prison population in England and Wales, with around 3,200 females in jail at present.
On average there were 29 pregnant women in prison for 2021/22, and 50 births to women spending time in custody in 2021/22.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) 94% of these births took place at a hospital and 3 took place either in transit to hospital or within a prison.
Today, a multi-generational protest was held on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as babies, children and their parents gathered to demand an end to the imprisonment of pregnant women.
Carrying signs, the group chanted nursery rhymes in the London drizzle and called for the Sentencing Council to stop sending pregnant women and mothers to prison.
The demonstrators, many of whom were wearing yellow and green in recognition of Mother’s Day, were pushing for the introduction of new sentencing practices for pregnant women and mothers.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) The protesters were holding signs proclaiming 'No Births Behind Bars'
The protest was organized by Level Up and No Births Behind Bars, two campaigns that have worked to highlight the risks of imprisoning pregnant women. Janey Starling, co-director of Level Up, said that prison is never a safe place to be pregnant, and that when a court sentences a woman to prison they could also be sentencing her to a stillbirth.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) Last year, the Royal College of Midwives and several other high-profile signatories backed the groups' calls
In response to the death of a baby at HMP Bronzefield in 2019, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Ombudsman determined that all pregnancies in prison are high risk. The Sentencing Council has committed to review whether new guidance on sentencing pregnant women is necessary.
Women make up approximately 4% of the prison population, with approximately 3,200 women in jail in England and Wales. The majority of women are imprisoned for less than twelve months, and on average there were 29 pregnant women in prison in 2021/22, with 50 births occurring in custody.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) 94% of these births took place in a hospital and three in transit or within a prison
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
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