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Children of Prisoners Europe

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Children of Prisoners Europe

Children of Prisoners Europe is an organisation working on behalf of children with imprisoned parents

Children of Prisoners Europe is an organisation working on behalf of children with imprisoned parents.

26/05/2026

🔔The Council of Europe has just released its 2025 annual penal statistics on prison populations.

All 51 prison administrations across the 46 CoE member states 🇪🇺 contributed to the report, which highlights several pressing concerns across European prison systems:

Persistent and worsening prison overcrowding across Europe.
🔹 Turkey has the highest number of children living with mothers in prison (944 children), followed by Ukraine (24), Portugal (18) and Italy (12).
🔹 The proportion of women in prison increased from 4.8% to 5.2% between January 2024 and January 2025.
🔹 A growing population of older people in prison posing major challenges to prison management related to healthcare, and mobility.
🔹 An overall rise in prison populations between January 2024 and January 2025, with the sharpest increases recorded in Turkey (+29%), Montenegro (+22%), Luxembourg (+20%), Sweden (+15%) and Greece (+14%)

These findings offers an important base for policymakers, prison administrations and justice actors seeking to address the evolving pressures within European prison systems.

COPE has long advocated for ethical data collection methods regarding the numbers of children affected by parental imprisonment. Read more here 👉 https://childrenofprisoners.eu/children-with-imprisoned-parents-collecting-data-with-a-purpose-2/

🔗 Find the full CoE report here: https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/serious-overcrowding-%20and-increasing-proportions-of-older-and-women-detainees-in-european-prisons

30/04/2026

🎉 For the third year in a row, COPE is proud to support its member organisations in implementing the Game with Mum & Dad project across Europe.

For many children with a parent in prison, opportunities to simply play, laugh and spend quality time with their imprisoned parents are rare. Game with Mum & Dad helps create those moments of connection through shared activities that strengthen family bonds in a positive and child-friendly environment ⚽︎🏃. Moreover, these events engage prison staff to recognise the realities of parenting from prison and what supports children need during visits.

🙏 Thanks to the continued support of the European Commission 🇪🇺, COPE is once again able to provide funding to organisations across the network to organise these events.

The project is designed to provide direct support to children, encourage child participation and uphold strong child safeguarding practices within prisons. In the long term, it also seeks to raise awareness of the rights and needs of children with a parent in prison, helping to foster inclusion and reduce the stigma associated with parental imprisonment.

The 2026 regranting beneficiaries include:

🇷🇴 Asociatia Alternative Sociale
🇨🇿 Mezinárodní vězeňské společenství, z. s.
🇩🇪 Hoppenbank e.V.
🇵🇹 CASPAE
🇵🇱 Probacja

Events will begin taking place this summer ☀️. Stay up to date and learn more through the project website: https://www.gamewithmum-dad.org

07/04/2026

💌 Catch the latest news concerning children with an imprisoned parent in the Spring issue of COPE's Newsletter!

Here's a glimpse of what you'll find inside:

🎯 Updates on current projects and actions across the COPE Network
🔗 Recent developments across Europe impacting children with a parent in prison
📚 New publications and resources
… and much more!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe now to COPE newsletter 👇
https://childrenofprisoners.eu/news/newsletter/

01/04/2026

⚖️ 🇪🇺 The European Commission and the Council of Europe have launched a new Child-Friendly Justice Assessment Tool, designed to help member states better support all children likely to be brought into contact with the justice system, for whatever reason and in whatever capacity in both judicial proceedings (criminal, civil or administrative law) or non-judicial proceedings.

This tool aims to make sure that justice systems 🏛 and services are accessible, age appropriate and adapted to the needs and rights of the child. It supports member states to self-assess their implementation Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on Child-friendly Justice.

Child-friendly justice means:

✅ Providing clear, age-appropriate information
✅ Supporting children so they understand what is happening
✅ Ensuring the child’s right to be heard and involved
✅ Respecting family life, dignity and privacy

2.1 million children in Europe have a parent in prison; many more encounter justice systems during a parent’s judicial proceedings. Parental imprisonment is often overlooked as a factor leading children to encounter justice professionals and environments — for example through prison visits, pre-trial detention settings or in court spaces — but it deserves explicit attention ❗.

This tool can help member states identify gaps in their justice systems, to understand and assess to what extent they are child-friendly and establish national objectives. It is a powerful framework to structure real progress in creating justice systems which are adapted to the needs of the child and not the other way round.

COPE welcomes this important step by the European Union and the Council of Europe in ensuring that children are actively supported in navigating justice systems that directly affect their lives and well-being.

You can find more information here 👉 https://www.coe.int/en/web/children/-/championing-child-friendly-justice-across-europe-launch-of-the-child-friendly-justice-assessment-tool

30/03/2026

🔎 What does it really mean to hear children in court?

Too often, during a parent’s criminal court proceedings, their children’s best interests are overlooked by judges and their voices go unheard. This could be for example, during pre-trial decision making, the trial or the sentencing stage.

In the latest issue of COPE’s European Journal of Parental Imprisonment📕, Judge Paulo Guerra explores this topic and highlights how hearing children is not an option, but an inalienable right of the child. He argues that when children have the maturity to express their views, failing to listen to them during a parent’s criminal court proceedings can undermine the validity of judicial decisions.

💡The article also emphasises that listening is not simply about asking questions: it requires trained professionals, trauma-informed approaches and a commitment to understanding children on their own terms. “Their way of experiencing the world is different from that of adults […]: the child does not know less — they know differently” (Guerra, 2026).

Children’s participation in judicial processes is most effective when it is structured and supported 🤝. This includes providing safe opportunities for children to share their experiences, preparing them for the process and ensuring their views are seriously considered in decision-making. When implemented properly, these measures respect children’s rights and help courts make decisions that take into account the needs and realities of the children involved.

Read the full article here 👉https://childrenofprisoners.eu/resources/european-journal-of-parental-imprisonment/

20/03/2026

🇵🇱Yesterday marked an important development for children with imprisoned parents in Poland: the Charter for the Rights of Children with Parents Deprived of Liberty was formally signed between Minister of Justice, Children's Ombudspersons Office and Prison Service.

The Charter, established as a Memorandum of Understanding, reflects a joint commitment to recognise, respect and support the rights and needs of children affected by parental imprisonment.

Inspired in part by the 2014 Italian Memorandum of Understanding for children with imprisoned parents, the Charter brings together brings together 🤝 key stakeholders across the justice, penitentiary and child protection systems. The document sets out both guiding principles and practical measures to strengthen the protection and support of children whose parents are deprived of liberty. It recognises the diverse and individual experiences of children and the need for responses tailored to their specific situations.

The Charter also establishes provisions for continued cooperation through an ongoing working group, ensuring follow-up and implementation.

🙏Particular regards to the work of COPE Board member Ewelina Startek, whose expertise and experience, shared through
her cooperation with Judge Paweł Kaczor, were cited by the Justice Ministry as having been of "exceptional value". COPE member Probacja Association was also involved in the Charter’s development and was present at the signing, represented by Agnieszka Szeliga – Żywioł of Probacja Association.

We hope this Charter can serve as an impetus across Europe, inspiring continued action so that all children with a parent in prison across Europe are supported and treated with dignity.

Read more here 👉 https://childrenofprisoners.eu/poland-signs-landmark-charter-supporting-children-with-imprisoned-parents/

10/03/2026

Being a father in prison presents a unique set of challenges. Despite their separation from daily family life, fathers in prison, as all fathers do, play a crucial role in their child’s development and remain responsible for their welfare. Yet the prison environment can erode an individual’s sense of responsibility.

“To be a parent is to feel responsible for a child,” explains psychoanalyst Dr Alain Bouregba of France. “In prison, that sense of responsibility is taken away.” Institutional control over daily life can undermine feelings of responsibility, imposing a passive and dependent role. Rigid routines and monotony make it harder to reflect on the past or imagine the future. For fathers, this psychological dynamic has important implications for parenting. Supporting incarcerated fathers requires recognising them as parents capable of responsibility while also challenging denial or minimisation of past actions.

Barriers may also be structural. Visiting schedules are often restrictive, geographically distant prisons make travel difficult and communication opportunities are limited. Some fathers encounter bureaucratic obstacles when attempting to assert contact or maintain involvement. Social perceptions compound these difficulties: there is the assumption that caregiving is primarily the mother’s role, which can render fathers’ parental involvement less visible, less supported and overlooked by institutions.

These barriers have cascading effects on the child-parent relationship. Inconsistent contact can disrupt attachment, limit emotional support and contribute to instability in children’s lives. Fathers may struggle with guilt, shame or anxiety about their ability to influence their children’s development, and children may internalise the absence or experience uncertainty about their father’s role.

Specific programmes and interventions can help mitigate these challenges. Effective support can include reliable communication channels, targeted parenting programs, emotional and psychological guidance and reintegration planning for life after release.

By addressing structural, relational and psychological challenges, interventions can help preserve the child–parent relationship, maintain fathers’ involvement in daily life and decision-making, strengthen their sense of responsibility, and support children’s well-being in the context of imprisonment. Group work with fathers can further encourage accountability by creating a meaningful space for direct communication, the sharing of emotions and personal experiences, and the opportunity to be “mirrored” by others in their role as parents. Through collectively agreed ground rules and a stable setting, the group becomes a safe environment where participants experience authority and responsibility through relationships with others.

Recommended resources:
📚 https://bit.ly/4un3Wx0
🎙️ https://bit.ly/4cYinBN
🎥 https://bit.ly/4lrdx28
📑 https://bit.ly/4s4obhH

04/03/2026

The way a prison is designed sends a powerful social message about how societies value children and family relationships. When visiting spaces feel harsh, overly controlled or devoid of warmth, they can reinforce stigma by signalling to children that their relationship with an imprisoned parent is undeserving of support. Design, in this sense, can shape the emotional experiences of children visiting a parent in prison, reduce stress and influence how family members engage with one another.

In the 2026 volume📓of the European Journal of Parental Imprisonment, Interior Designer Josephine van den Ent draws on environmental psychology and first-hand observations from Dutch 🇳🇱 prisons to examine how architectural features, materials, acoustics and spatial layouts communicate messages about punishment, care and dignity. She shows how child-centred design can reduce stress, support children’s sense of safety and subtly shift the meaning of the space from one defined solely by control to one that acknowledges connection and care.

“Prisons are designed primarily for security and control, priorities which can — intentionally or not — create environments that feel cold, intimidating and stressful, especially for children visiting a parent. […] Large, open areas with minimal corners or privacy provide little sense of security, a critical factor for children’s comfort and confidence. […]. When children encounter warmth through, for example, soft colours, good acoustics and homey materials, the message subtly shifts from punishment to compassion.” (van den Ent, 2026)

🔗 Read the full article in COPE’s latest journal: https://childrenofprisoners.eu/resources/european-journal-of-parental-imprisonment/

18/02/2026

Media narratives do not merely reflect social realities but actively construct them.
This becomes particularly clear when we examine how stigma associated with parental imprisonment is produced and sustained.

“Stigma is a powerful social mechanism that continues to shape how societies perceive and treat marginalised groups. It lives not only in people’s attitudes, but also in the stories that define what we believe, stories most often told through the media. […] Journalists, thus, hold the power either to break that silence and shed light on hidden realities or reinforce prejudice and exclusion.” (Kalefi & Angeli, 2026)

The stories that are told and those that remain untold shape public empathy, policy-making and self-perception of stigmatised individuals. When the voices of children with imprisoned parents remain absent from public discourse, their realities and rights go unaddressed — or responses that intend to support can actually do harm.

📰💡 In the 2026 volume of the European Journal of Parental Imprisonment, Naya Kalfeli and Christina Angeli examine how stigma is reproduced through journalistic routines, language and structural pressures — and how rights-based training for journalists can challenge 💪 the stigma that children experience related to their parent’s imprisonment.

“Invisibility in public discourse is itself a form of discrimination.” (Kalefi & Angeli, 2026)

🔗 Read the full article in COPE’s latest journal: https://childrenofprisoners.eu/resources/european-journal-of-parental-imprisonment/

03/02/2026

📣 European Journal of Parental Imprisonment: 2026 volume released 📣

This publication 📚 is dedicated to sharing innovative approaches and best practices that protect the rights and well-being of children with imprisoned parents.

The 2026 edition focuses on stigma and parental imprisonment through a children’s rights lens, bringing together research and expert analysis from a variety of perspectives, covering topics such as:

🔹 Inclusive media narratives, challenging stereotypes and stigma
🔹 Insights from young people directly impacted by parental imprisonment
🔹 The importance of hearing children during a parent's court proceedings
🔹 How stigma is perpetuated in prison architecture, shaping children’s visits to parents
🔹 Examples of prison based support

💡 This journal is interesting reading for anyone working in child welfare, criminal justice, social policy or human rights in general.

Read the 2026 volume here 👉https://childrenofprisoners.eu/resources/european-journal-of-parental-imprisonment/

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Lundi	09:30 - 18:00
Mardi	09:30 - 18:00
Mercredi	09:30 - 18:00
Jeudi	09:30 - 18:00
Vendredi	09:30 - 18:00

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