Legal Toolkit: Representing pregnant women and mothers in the criminal justice system

On the 5th September 2024 Doughty Street Chambers hosted the launch of a legal toolkit ‘Representing pregnant woman and mothers in the criminal justice system’.

This legal toolkit, written by three barristers at Doughty Street Chambers (Maya Sikand KC, Pippa Woodrow and Hannah Smith) and Janey Starling, co-director of Level Up, is designed to equip lawyers with the core legal arguments, tools and resources to effectively represent pregnant women and mothers of infants at all stages of the criminal justice process including bail, sentencing and appeals against sentence. 

Whilst we use the terms “pregnant women”, the toolkit applies to all individuals who experience pregnancy in the criminal justice system. Additionally, whilst this toolkit is focussed on the position of mothers, who are usually the primary carers of young children, much of the material will be of use to all who rear children. 

The toolkit also provides practitioners with the key prison law issues facing incarcerated mothers and pregnant women.

You can access the toolkit here.