The Times recently reported that a mother was jailed for three months for not giving her estranged husband access to his 16-year-old son. Admittedly, this woman’s actions are unacceptable but did she really deserve to be jailed for three months?

This question raises more concern when seen in the light of a sentence passed the week before, when a man was given a suspended sentence for disfiguring the face of another man with a chain. Isn’t it the courts’ responsibility to safeguard society?

If the answer is yes, then why is someone who deliberately disfigured another man roaming our streets while the mother in question is serving time in jail? Apart from the fact she did not physically harm anyone, her behaviour in this instance is open to interpretation. One cannot easily drag a 16-year-old to a place he does not wish to be.

It is equally important to note how counterproductive this sentence is. The son in question has practically witnessed and lived through his parents’ separation process his entire life.

In return, instead of easing the pain, society continues to punish him by jailing his mother – the person with whom he lived and who made up for both his parents.

So some people get suspended sentences for grievous crimes that could have had more serious outcomes and others get jail sentences for much less serious offences.

It seems as though crime pays in this country.

A couple of days ago, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that the Nationalist Party’s values have secured its vision and its pursuit of change throughout its history. However, I strongly believe that such values need to be revisited when it comes to the Maltese courts and the justice system. A reform in the judicial system should feature high on the agenda without further delay.