I feel like we have these parents who are deemed unlikeable and deviant people who do something terrible because they are neglectful and careless. If something bad happens they are at fault and should be punished. It's never an accident.
Then on the other hand we have these parents who are deemed likeable and virtuous/good. They don't do something terrible, something terrible happens to them because of a momentary lapse of judgement. If something bad happens they are also seen as the victims, they do not need to be punished because what their tragedy is punishment enough. It's always an accident.
Race, class, and other social and economic factors (power, respectability, etc. ) are at play here. Single parents, mental illness, poverty, unemployment, other class factors and being BAME or a migrant or refugee go against people massively in these cases. People who have been bought up to know how to talk to people in these situations will do a lot better in interview and in the stand (if they get that far) as well as being better at managing the media.
There are massive inconsistencies in the way cases like this are managed. I'm not sure whether prison is the right place or what the answer is in situations like this, but there are definitely inconsistencies in the way people are treated. And all too often the face of evil is somebody from a disadvantaged group, and the face of the "unfortunate parent" eg. The McCanns is white, middle class, and good at managing the police, media etc.
Is it really better to go on a conference call for a couple of hours than to get caught up in a social call for a few minutes? Legally these should not be treated so differently. Both are death by neglect.