When people call for harsher penalties for bad parents do they forget the effect it will have on their family?

Question

I'm referring to the recent case of a woman who bought a one-way ticket to Spain leaving her 11 and 14 year old children with £30, full cupboards, and family close by. She's been given a suspended sentence, but some on here would like to see her locked up.

Of course what she did was wrong, but how would sending her to jail improve the situation for her family?

Answer 1

I know.

Yes what she did was wrong but she must have been desperate to do it. I've answered a couple of times about this and I do sympathise with the poor woman. Being a single working parent is a tough job if you get no support.

She has been given a suspended sentence so she will only go to prison if she re-offends and now it seems shes getting some help so she is unlikely to re-offend.



Ripping children out of the heart of their families is not always the best solution. At all.

Answer 2

I'm with you on this, 100 years ago all 14 year olds who did not stay on into higher education would have been responsible and out at work as messenger boys etc, many 11 year old girls would have looked after younger brothers and sisters a great deal of the time, the parents should not have been sent to jail in this case, it is absurd, and as you say it will probably harm the family more.

Answer 3

Hi Skidoo



Your opening a can of worms here.



The woman did do wrong and deserves to be punished.



However, there are many users on here who have their heads where the sun don't shine.



They believe that if a child is taken into care, then that child's life is all mapped out.

The child will be placed with a really nice family.

Get a great education.

Go to university

Never get on the wrong side of the law.

And best of all, will never ever turn out like their parents.



Oh if only life was like that.



The truth is far from that despite all the best intentions of foster carers and social services.



But, it satisfies many people to see children like these taken into care, as for it not being the best thing for them, ah! well that's another question for another time.

Answer 4

you are right, not enough space in the prison system to put these sense less people there.

Take away th children and sterilise the mother.

This is how it helps:

- allow children to grow up in a healthy environment and stop them to turn in to bed parents them selves

-leave space in prison and save tax payers money

- save nhs money and child benefits as well as other benefits

- having a child is not a right, but a duty, those incapable to full fill the duty should not have children.

Who am i to say this? No one, the facts speak for them selves.

What are children?Dogs that when you tired off you leave behind?

The only result you get by keeping the family togheter is that children will feel as abandoned dogs?

And I can tell you the sense ofabandonmentt is something you don't over come easy.

Answer 5

For any mother to do this she doesn't deserve to keep her children. I suggest a short prison term for her crime, and take the children from her. When she is out of prison she needs to have supervision by the authorities and when she eventually gets them back, social services should keep the children under their wing to make sure it doesn't happen again. If it does a longer jail term and remove the kids permanently. No loving mother would even contemplate doing what she did.

Answer 6

There are some very sensible 14 year olds and there are some extremely immature 18 year olds.Every case needs to be judged on it's merits.

Answer 7

there aren't really any laws for when you can and can't leave kids, it's all down to parents judgement in the UK. I think a 14 year old can spend a fair amount of time on their own, and could supervise an 11 year old. If the relative is a few doors away, then to my mind that might just about be ok.



I leave my 11 yearolds in the house on their own for shorter periods of time, they are safer than if they play out or walk to school.

..

Answer 8

I think that you are right about disrupting the family, BUT if these people do go unpunished in the most sever form, it gives cart blanch to all low life's who think that they can behave how the hell they like, Its a catch 22 situation, but i do think that she should have been publicly humiliated to the MAX, God bless.

Answer 9

i think this case was a little bit different in the fact she filled her cupboards and had grown up children close by, sounds like a mother at the end of her tether who wanted to shock her family but she knew they would be safe

Answer 10

Being an excellent Rangers fan, i grew to become into perturbed as quickly as I observed the play, and the call. i presumed it grew to become right into a load of bull and Crosby offered the full truckload. Then I observed the replay from yet another attitude, and you will see that he have been given it interior the chops noticeably plenty. Emrick grew to become into apologizing to Crosby after he observed the comparable replay. as much as I hate to admit it, it grew to become right into a solid call. i grew to become into besides the incontrovertible fact that, very inspired with the way Crosby dealt with it, whilst he grew to become into confronted with it.

Answer 11

I agree with what you say. If the government listened to all the people who continuously call for more and more severe penalties for everything then by now anyone who so much as parked their car crooked would face the death penalty.

Answer 12

a girl who lives down the road from me was recently evicted with her 3 children, because so many neighbours complained and then signed a petition as this is a private estate and she was renting, her crime. she refused to remove her satellite dish from her house, and some thought it lowered the tone of the street. ITS TRUE, narrow minded b@stards

Answer 13

The problem is that this woman is clearly unfit to care for her kids.Leaving aside the punishment she should received her kids should be removed from her.

A 14 year old is not a suitable guardian for another child regardless of who was living near by.

Personally I dont care what sentence she gets as long as her kids are safe and the only way to ensure this is to place her kids in the care of someone more responsible

Answer 14

the presumption that having a parent around even if the parent is unfit is in the best interest of the child is wrong



children need protection and sometimes that can be from their own mother or father.



children need to be protected regardless, what this woman did was criminal and put her children in jeopardy, she is unfit to look after children and sorry but I firmly believe she should have been locked up

Answer 15

it probably will, as yet again we see feckless parenting in this country, and her kids will probably end up getting looked after properly. We need to make an example of people who buck their parental responsibilities through selfishness. Too many people have kids as a source of benefits etc.

Answer 16

Kids would probably be better off in care, or perhaps it would be better if they had been put up for adoption at birth. Some parents are a menace.

Answer 17

People must obide by the law.



If she committed armed robbery and battery they wouldn't let her off scott free just because she has kids.

Answer 18

I don't think it would.



I think that if there were harsher penalties for totally negligent parents though, parents might think twice about their behavior.



Sadly, only for selfish reasons - to avoid the penalty, rather than for wanting to do good for their child, but it's better than nothing.

Answer 19

WELL THE LADY WILL UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE MONEY AND FOOD AND TAKE OFF. THAT IS CALLED ABANDONMENT OF A CHILD. IT MAY HELP THE MOTHER MAKE BETTER CHOICES IN THE LONG RUN ON HER PLANS AND GETTING A VACATION AWAY , PLUS WHAT IS THE WHOLE ONE WAY TICKET ABOUT, WAS SHE NOT COMING BACK??? I WILL LEAVE THE SENTENCING UP TO GOD..

Answer 20

She should be a mother first - never mind going off on holiday, it's totally selfish.