Shabana Mahmood has been accused of causing further “two-tier justice” after unveiling plans to close women’s prisons at today’s Labour Party conference.
Speaking to party members in Liverpool, the Justice Secretary outlined plans to “reduce the number of women’s prisons” to prevent “hurting mothers and breaking homes”.
Mahmood explained: “It’s clear now that if we change how we treat women in prison, we cut crime, we keep families together and we end the harm that passes from one generation to the next.”
Reacting to the plans, which are set to be published next spring, Martin Daubney said he was “astonished” at the idea.
Martin Daubney was left ‘astonished’ by Shabana Mahmood’s plan to ‘close women’s prisons’
PA / GB News
Martin told his GB News show: “They say prison doesn’t work for women, you can equally say prison doesn’t particularly work for men, but sometimes you need a tough, short, sharp shock.
“What kind of message does it send out? For some reason, if you’re a woman and you commit an offence, you don’t deserve to go to prison, you deserve preferential treatment.”
Offering his thoughts on the plan, former Scotland Yard Detective Mike Neville said there is “already preferential treatment” of women in the justice system.
Neville explained: “There is already some form of preferential treatment – when I used to be on a drug squad, if you raided a house, the man would take the rap for the woman.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is planning to close a number of women’s prisons across the UK
PA
“Because no matter how wicked they are, no man wants to see their wife, partner or the mother of their children go to jail. So often women get a free pass there.”
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Criticising the plans set out by Mahmood, Neville claimed that it sends out a message of women being allowed a “free pass” out of jail if they have children.
Neville told GB News: “If you’re a prolific shoplifter, you can think I’m never going to go to jail because I’m a mum, and therefore continue on with it. So there must be a point in time where you say that’s enough.
“If you’ve got kids, but it’s the 100th shoplifting conviction, you’re going to jail. And I think this is sending a message that really, if you’ve got children, you’ve got a free get out of jail free card.”
In agreement with Neville, Martin noted that the proposal “sends out a message of two-tier justice” for women.
Mike Neville says ‘women with children will be allowed to avoid jail’
GB News
Martin fumed: “We can all agree that prisons are no places for parents to be. If you’re a woman, you could just say I’ll get pregnant and avoid jail by any means necessary.
“And once you start closing down those women’s prisons, I’m assuming they’ll be converted into spaces for men because those are the prison spaces we need. Does this send out a message that once again, we have two-tiered justice and you get a free pass from prison?”
In defence of Mahmood, Martin highlighted that two-thirds of women are “in prison for nonviolent offences”, and that 55 per cent of victims of domestic abuse.
He also made clear that self-harm in women’s prisons is “eight times higher” than in men’s prisons.