How to teach a woman who leaves a 16-month child home alone that this is wrong?

A 20-year-old woman (or should we say child?) who left her 16-month-old baby alone over five nights, only returning for a couple of hours at a time to feed her cereal, is threatened with jail.  Is this really appropriate?  She doesn't so much need punishment, as basically to be taught how to live.  If she is put in jail presumably someone else will have care of the child and there will be an added rift between them.  It seems to me that both her and the child should be placed somewhere where she can care for it under supervision and learn the joys as well as responsibilities of motherhood.

Ski-trip coach accident in France

I feel so sorry for the poor coach driver who has had his whole life and career damaged irrevocably because he dozed off at the wheel, killing a teacher and injuring several children and traumatising the rest.  This is yet another example of essential extra staff not being hired in a cost-cutting exercise.  It is well known how soporific night-driving is and there certainly should not be only one driver on such a trip when it is taking place at night.  Every driver knows of the danger of dropping off, even for a second, and surely the people responsible for setting up this trip are drivers themselves.

No law is needed.  It is sufficient for parents and teachers to refuse to allow the children to go if there are not going to be two night-time drivers.  What is the cost of the wages of one extra driver divided between so many?  And how worthwhile the expenditure of these few pounds!  We have to extend the range of our own responsibilities if those in charge are not able to take them on.