Early release for prison inmate a Christmas decision

Press, 14 January 1987, Page 3

Early release for prison inmate a Christmas decision

A Christmas Eve decision by the Acting Minister of Justice, Mr Rodger, led to a Christchurch Women’s Prison inmate being released early to give birth to a baby. The early release for Caroline Lisa Bedford — just two months after she was sentenced to 3»4 years jail for importing LSD — was recommended by the Justice Department The Minister of Justice, Mr Palmer, said yesterday that Mr Rodger had a report before him which summarised the comments of the sentencing judge, Mr Justice Holland, arid the Probation Service, when he made his Christmas Eve decision.

The Criminal Justice Act allows the Minister to release an inmate if she has given birth to a child. Mr Palmer was commenting on publicity concerning the inmate’s release. He said 27 prisoners had been released early in the last five years because they had given birth. “It is socially undesirable for a child to begin life in a prison environment and it has been a long-standing policy that, wherever practicable, steps are taken to ensure that separation of the mother and baby does not occur,” he said. The births all took

place in maternity hospitals, and were followed by the normal period of hospital care. Before the birth, pregnant inmates were told of the options and facilities available to them if they did not wish to keep their children. If the mother intended to keep the baby, every effort was made to maintain mother-and-child contact, without keeping the child in the prison, Mr Palmer said. The inmate could be paroled to a maternity hospital, or to a home run by a church or welfare group. Any releases were always subject to restrictions and supervision. “Stringent conditions have been imposed on this person (Bedford),” Mr Palmer said. “If they are breached she can be recalled to serve the unexpired portion of her sentence.”

Releases for childbirth were not automatic, he said. Each case had to be considered.

“The problems oMooking after prisoners and their young offspring in prison are substantial,” he said.

Mr Palmer does not believe abuse of the early release provision is possible because it requires an individual decision in each case. He said it was clear that a mother who gave birth while in custody was in. a quite different position from a mother who had young children at the time of sentence.

“Consideration has been given over the years to setting up separate facilities for mothers and their children, but, because of the comparatively small numbers of females imprisoned in this country, it has not been warranted. “The need for such a unit has been reduced under the new Criminal Justice Act which emphasises the greater use of community-based sentences and the much needed offender support they allow,” Mr Palmer said.