The British government on Friday tabled amendments to a criminal justice bill that would automatically ban child rapists from making decisions about their children's lives after being sentenced. The government said the amendments were “to ensure that the best interests of children are protected”.
The proposed amendment would remove the perpetrator's parental responsibility and ability to make important decisions in the child's life, such as whether the child can receive medical treatment, go on vacation, or change schools. This would change current law, which gives courts the power to strip parents of their responsibilities but requires families of perpetrators to fund expensive legal costs to obtain such orders. Under the new reform, if a perpetrator wants to have parental responsibility restored, he or she must prove to a family court judge that it is in the child's best interests.
The Lord Chancellor and Solicitor-General, Alex Chalk KC, expressed support for the bill and highlighted its importance in protecting children. He said: “This new law will automatically protect them from people whose despicable acts have shown them to be completely lacking in nurturing and caring instincts.”
These changes are made under the Jade Law, which automatically suspends parental responsibility if the perpetrator kills the partner or ex-partner with whom they share a child. Jade Ward, whose family campaigned for this law change after she was murdered by her partner in 2021 and the perpetrator was able to retain parental responsibility for their four children It was named after Mr.
The revised Criminal Justice Bill will be reviewed in three years to consider how its powers could be changed to “ensure it works for victims and innocent parties” is.
