Offender Management Bill

I support this amendment. My noble friend Lord Northbourne has already given some evidence from England of the probability that the children of prisoners will commit crimes themselves. That is confirmed from experience in Northern Ireland, where I still have the privilege of being president of NIACRO. Some years ago, our organisation published a report on the impact of imprisonment on spouses and children, entitled The Silent Sentence. Responding to those needs, we first organised welfare and human rights advice—usually for the wife, who was outside the prison. We also arranged special weekends for mothers and children, and maybe occasionally for the odd father. Later on, we developed what came tobe known as child-centred visits, where special arrangements were made with the prison so that the child could easily and fully relate to his father. That entailed a good deal of co-operation from the Prison Service, which to the best of my knowledge still continues in at least one Northern Ireland prison. Separately from that work, it has occurred to me that when a woman with the care of children is sentenced, there might be time allowed before actually entering prison so that she can make the best possible arrangements for the future care of the children for whom she is responsible. I have taken that up with the noble Baroness, Lady Scotland, but I am not sure whether we have made progress. I hope that we have, but I am uncertain. With those words I commend the amendment.