Detention home set up for pregnant suspects

Minhang district police have set up a detention home designed for pregnant women awaiting trial in an effort to stop them from skipping bail, local media reported Sunday.

Minhang police founded the home after encountering many female pickpockets who have managed to avoid punishment by taking advantage of a law that grants bail to pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers, according to a report in the Xinmin Evening News.

Once out on bail, it is easy for the women to blow off their court date.

The detention home opened in March in Pujiang town, the report said. Police outfitted the residence with all the necessities the women will need while living there.

It is currently home to five women awaiting trial on pickpocketing charges.

"We chose this location for the residence because it is only a 10- to 15-minute ride away from two hospitals, just in case these women suffer any health problems during their stay," said a press officer surnamed Xue from the Minhang District Public Security Bureau.

One of the hospitals has a great deal of experience caring for pregnant women, Xue said. And the cost is relatively low because it is a hospital that serves much of the district's migrant population.

Another way to reduce the cost and potential risks of keeping pregnant criminal suspects is to work with the local prosecutor's office and the court to shorten the period they are held before trial.

"The prosecutor's investigation period will be shortened to about 10 days," Xue told the Global Times.

Xue said that the district public security bureau has found that the street theft rate has fallen 50 percent in Qibao town, an area where thefts have been common.

Pregnant women have long posed a problem for police because the law allows courts to grant them particularly light sentences.

"In one case we handled, we dealt with a woman who had seven children. She got away with stealing every time because she was always expecting," Xue said.

The courts often give pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers lenient sentences, which allows them to return to the streets to continue stealing, Xue said.