Family member in prison

[VeryWorriedFamilyMember]

Hi all. Have name changed for this and being a little vague but main details the same. Anyway, close relative has been locked up for possession with intent to supply of a class A drug. She has one prior conviction for assault (not in prison) and one juvenile caution for possession of a weapon. My mum and are terrified for her and, if we’ve understood it correctly, it could be up to life in prison. Does anyone know if this is right? Sentencing isn’t for 6 weeks as she plead guilty so that’ll knock some time off won’t it.

Mum and I are bloody fuming but are trying to be supportive. I may even end up with her two daughters as the dad isn’t on the scene. It’s such a mess 😢

Much will depend on the amount of drugs she was found in possession of and her role in the intent to supply. This is quite helpful in setting this out.

www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/supplying-or-offering-to-supply-a-controlled-drug-possession-of-a-controlled-drug-with-intent-to-supply-it-to-another/

As already mentioned it will depend on how much drugs are involved. Being caught with street dealer amounts of cocaine will be sentenced differently to being found with 5 kilos of uncut heroin.
Also if she spent time on remand before the trial that will be taken into account against her sentence.

As others have said it is very fact specific and the sentencing guidelines linked above are what is followed.

She should have legal representation who should have advised her in likely sentence before she pled - these are the best people to advise. Plus whatever she can do in mitigation including being a sole carer for the children if her offence is relatively minor.

Life imprisonment is only the very top of the scale.

Life in prison? Gosh, I have a family member who sexually abused a child in the family - and all he got was 18 months!

Like others have said it really depends on the amount and what she was doing with it.

I guess all you can do is be there for her and her children and hopefully the sentence ensures she is suitably punished but won't be too draconian.

We’re just so worried about the kids, they’re so little. It seems like she was a fairly small cog but all the cogs are needed to get drugs onto the street aren’t they? It was 500g worth, it that a lot?

500 grams or grands worth?

Also depends on whether it was heroin/cocaine or amphetamines. The guidelines above will help.

As brutal as it sounds if their mum is dealing in class A's the children might be better with you, at least till their mum can sort herself out. I presume social services have the children on their radar.

This so so sad for her poor children. I presume SS are involved? Have they asked you to take them in? I don't know how it works. But I wish you all best of luck 💐

I follow on tiktok a reformed drug dealer. He was towards the top of the tree. Not bringing it in but supplying it to the runners. He was caught via the runners and he got about 17 years but the runners got far shorter sentences than he did.

In addition, many of those years will be served out on licence and they have to keep their nose clean, so she will be under some sort of watch system when she is at that point.

Of course the children come first and I would hope SS are involved to support you and advise on any future contact to protect them.

No children should be living with a drug dealer, regardless on however small a cog in the system they are - there is always the opportunity to increase their cog size in these situations.

Theses jobs come with threats, and actual violence, not only to the people involved directly but to those around them as well.

If you are right that it could be up to life in prison than I very much doubt she will be keeping her children. That said, if she is so willing to risk the lives of other people's children she really shouldn't have her own.

Of marijuana, no. Of heroin or cocaine, yes.

That’s enough that a sentence of several years is possible.

It's also very rare ie. never the case that people only deal one type of drug.

@BlueSnorf what is that assertion based on. My experience is very old but 100% the opposite.

People who deal hash/weed very rarely dealt anything else.

500 grams. She’s been going through a lot, I just wish she’d asked me for money rather than doing this.

Would social services not contact the father before looking for other options?

This could be a good chance for the daughter to get a proper parent and have a chance at a normal life, so could be a blessing in disguise.

If she goes to prison and OP cares for the children on a kinship care basis then there is every chance she will be able to resume care of her children on her release. There are obviously caveats and assessments that would need to be done, but it is not a given she would lose her children forever.

500g of cocaine would retail at around £60,000. 500g of cocaine is a huge amount, and she is likely to be higher up than a runner.

She will most likely get prison time, but there will be mitigating factors that could bring her time in prison down/up eg pleading guilty, being female, whether she was exploited and pressurised or had awareness and scale of the operation, how many offenses she has previously had, how great a risk she is to the community.

I hope she gets the help and support she needs.

All so scary right now and thanks for the responses. It’s all such a different world for me and my mum. SS are involved and can’t get in touch with the dad, although it’s only been just over a week. However, my relative could never get in touch with him for child maintenance so I don’t know if SS will have any more luck. The kids have been shielded so far and think they’re on
holiday with nana but we can’t keep up that fib for much longer, it’s not fair on them.

I remember once reading at primary school and the little girl, who a vaguely knew through my own daughter, telling me her dad had moved to a country on the other side of the world to work but he would be coming back but she didn't know when. We carried on reading.

I found out quite some months later that he was in prison (for something that wouldnt directly affect the child).

I guess they saw it as an easy fix at the time. One wonders how she would feel if she ever learned the truth as an adult though.

I've recently read some letters from my grandmother to her cousin in Canada which referred to the illness and loss of my young cousin when we were children. Whilst I learned more about it from the letters, nothing I was told at the time was a lie, and I am eternally grateful that was the case. If I'd have learned I was duped, it would have thrown what I'd been told about other things into a whirl.

So, however it's done, I would never lie. Perhaps just not give a lot of detail unless questions arise.

SS have ways to find people by using info provided by other departments such as the DWP. A week is not that long so it is likely he will be located eventually.

But it sounds like the kids would be a very great deal better off with you than either parent to be honest.

An old friend did this. He was stupid, we believe has SN & was targeted as a drug runner & he acted like he was in a bloody movie 🤦🏻‍♀️. He was pulled at the airport with several kilos of cocaine strapped around his body @at a time when they were making examples of people, so a higher sentence. He He got 12 years & did 6. I know someone else caught with a smaller amount of cocaine & he was done for intent to supply & did 8 months in prison. Both actually turned their lives around afterwards & had far better direction

I really hope that the DC are able to stay with you.

Have you had the relatives version of events yet?

Hey OP.

I used to work in a prison. I would be very very very surprised if she got life even though the sentencing guidelines will say she could get up to that. She will be more likely to get a few years, I've seen sentences for drug offences range from a suspended sentence to 12 years (but it's men who tend to bet higher sentencing, I've seen women who were lead role get a max of 6). Do you know what role they are trying to charge her with?

But she would only do half of what she is sentenced to.

Womens prisons facilitate mums. They often do days out, which then lead up to weekends out so that the relationship with children can be maintained. I knew of a girl who eventually used to do Friday-Tuesday on child leave, and then only had to spend Tuesday evening - Friday in the jail.

Womens prisons are more like holiday camps (although very rubbish ones). They tend to live in 'houses' which house around 15-20 prisoners. They have access to a communal kitchen, washing machine, tumble dryer and living room.

If you look at HMP Styal on Google images you will see the layout, it's literally big houses. And they have (believe it or not), a gym, a library, a salon, gardens ect. She will get a job and get paid each week (around £15 which she can then spend on phone credit / snacks, they even get Avon in styal).

Yes it will be shit for her, but she will be ok. It will be more shit for the ones left picking up the pieces, like you and your mum.

Is she taking a bag with her for sentencing? Do you want me to write a list of what she should take and what is and isn't allowed?

Xx

Don’t know anything about prison sentences but SS will assess close relatives for suitability for the children. SS can apply to the Court for a Protection Order and place the children with foster carers if family members not deemed suitable ( and this could be because of health, overcrowded housing, long work hours, not because they don’t consider them “good people”)
It must be a very worrying situation for you but the children’s welfare must come first. The adult made her choices ( tho she may have felt forced into drug dealing) and has to face the consequences but the poor kids had no say in this.

@VeryWorriedFamilyMember any news to what happened? My family are going through something very similar. Also very worried just wanted to see the outcome for you?