More than 17,000 children are forcibly separated from their mothers every year in England and Wales as a result of imprisonment, according to new figures.
The Howard League for Penal Reform says two-thirds of women jailed last year were convicted of non-violent offences and could have been punished in the community instead, sparing 11,000 children the agony of enforced separation.
The group's report, Voice of a Child, says that 17,240 children under 18 were separated from their mothers in England and Wales in 2010 through imprisonment.
Clinical Psychologist Sarah Helps talks to iMama.tv about separation anxiety in young children and how to ease it.
Is an overhaul of the penal system needed? Would it be better to allow mothers to keep their children with them when serving a prison sentence? Have your say in today's Great Debate discussion...
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