Chief prosecutor argues for change (From This Is Cheshire)

Chief prosecutor argues for change

1:00pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in News

MEN and women should be treated differently during court proceedings, according to a top barrister.

Paul Whittaker, chief crown prosecutor of CPS Merseyside-Cheshire, said that punishments for men may not be suitable for women.

He said: “There are significant differences between the offending and these require a targeted response.

“Male-defined practices and programmes applied to women has resulted in them being shoe-horned into a system designed for men.”

A pilot scheme in Liverpool in 2009 saw women given gender tailored community projects, rather than face custody.

And Mr Whittaker believes that sending women to prison for low key crimes results in a negative impact on the community.

He said: “Around 66 per cent of women in prison have children under 18 and of those women, 34 per cent had children under five.

“Children whose parents offend are three times more likely to have mental health problems or engage in anti-social behaviour than their peers. It does not mean that women offenders are getting away with anything. They are engaging with support centres, but are doing so in a way which benefits wider society and results in less offending.”