Research by Action for Prisoners and Offenders Families (APOF) and the Hallam Centre for Community Justice, which claims to be the first analysis of care for mothers and babies in prison in many years, says that places are not always available or taken up.
All women who are pregnant or have a child below the age of 18 months at the point of entering custody have the opportunity to apply for a place within designated living accommodation in a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). At the same time some MBUs are closing and others are under threat.
The report highlights the lack of consistent support for vulnerable mothers, whose problems can also include struggles with mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm and domestic violence.
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