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"Criminals 'could be spared jail if they are a parent'"

By Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is the provocative headline of this provocative article coming from across the pond.  Here are the details: Criminals could be spared jail if they are a parent, Scotland's new children's tsar said today. Children's Commissioner Tam Baillie said judges should consider the impact of prison on an offender's children before deciding whether to lock them up. Sheriffs and judges should have a statutory obligation to take the human rights of an accused's children into account, said Mr Baillie. And the existence of children could "tip the balance" in cases where there is a close decision between a custodial and community sentence. He said he hopes the forthcoming Criminal Justice Bill will include an amendment, with children's rights added as a factor which must be taken into consideration along with previous convictions...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 18, 2009 (boomark / email).