Baroness Hollins (CB)

My Lords, I will speak briefly about definition, and in particular the lack of definition of “personal characteristics”. There is a possibility that the Bill could have unintended consequences for two groups that I have a particular interest in: first, people with learning disabilities and autistic people, and, secondly, mothers and their children. On the first point, offending behaviour by people with learning disabilities and autistic people is often a consequence of environmental failures, and custodial sentences do not reduce offending for these groups. PSRs are essential because they may not be easily recognisable without a pre-sentencing report. It is quite worrying, especially at a time when it seems as if new mental health legislation may not adequately develop the community resources that are needed to keep them safe. That is one issue. I specifically want to speak about Amendment 16, introduced by the right reverend Prelate, and agree with the points she made. I am a retired psychiatrist with a specialism in child psychiatry and psychotherapy, as well as learning disability and autism. I am concerned about the impact this may have on maternal and children’s well-being, in both the short and the long term. The noble Lord, Lord Marks, commented about innocent children, but it is much worse than that. We know unequivocally that perinatal and postnatal periods are critical to the lifelong health and well-being of the child. When mothers are sent to prison, 19 in 20 children are forced to leave their homes at that time. This is not okay. We have plenty of evidence from developmental psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience that shows that maternal stress and separation during the perinatal period can alter a child’s developmental trajectory. The effects ripple across the child’s whole lifespan, impacting their ability to form secure relationships, regulate emotions, perform in school and thrive in adulthood. That kind of developmental trauma significantly increases a child’s own long-term risk of mental illness, future offending and substance misuse.