The collection of data presented in COPE’s 2018 ‘Establishing Baselines’ report is the first of its kind. It draws from a qualitative questionnaire designed by COPE in 2017 and was distributed to prison administrations and services in 47 member states in the lead up to the publication of Recommendation CM/Rec2018(5). The work of data collection … Read More
There is an overrepresentation of Roma and Travellers in prison populations in Europe, though exact numbers are difficult to establish, as some countries in Europe do not provide prison population statistics by “ethnicity” and “race”. There is a general lack of understanding and studies on the situation of Roma and Traveller prisoners across European countries, … Read More
This Family Relations Good Practice Collection is the result of a two-year, multilateral cooperative project between the EuroPris Family Relations Expert Group and COPE on issues related to children of prisoners. The good practices within serve as recommendations, drawn from numerous European prison administrations, with a focus on improving the child’s experience in prison visiting … Read More
First published in 2006, this new edition of Children of Imprisoned Parents: European Perspectives on Good Practice reflects welcome change in awareness, knowledge and practice with respect to what is being done, and what can be done, to support the needs and rights of children with imprisoned parents. The publication, featuring a range of initiatives, … Read More
The European Commission sent out a call for submissions in 2011 for their Green Paper on the application of EU criminal justice legislation in the field of detention. The Green Paper contained 10 questions, and the Commission was interested in receiving feedback, comments and replies from practitioners, such as judges, prosecutors and lawyers and other … Read More
In Autumn 2013 we began an EU-funded project to compile a series of four newsletters focused on justice for children of prisoners. The themes of the newsletters were as follows: Prisons across Europe: National focuses on protocols relating to children of prisoners Prisons visits & families: Impacts, successes & struggles Police, judges & sentencing: Arrests, … Read More
In May 2011, Children of Prisoners Europe (at that time Eurochips) and the Danish Institute for Human Rights hosted an exhibition of children’s art on the theme of parental imprisonment, alongside specially commissioned, powerful sculptures by Mieke Vase, a Paris-based Dutch artist, in an open gallery space within the European Parliament. The exhibition helped draw … Read More
The Children of Prisoners: Interventions and Mitigations to Strengthen Mental Health (COPING) project is the Children of Prisoners Europe network’s major accomplishment to date. From January 2010 – 2012, the EU-research study co-founded by the EU Commission was a child-centred project, which investigated the resilience and vulnerability to mental health problems of children of imprisoned … Read More
Dr. Maria (Ria) Wolleswinkel’s “Children of Imprisoned Parents” is a fundamental text for COPE, providing a legal perspective imbued with psychological and social context. Dr. Wolleswinkel is Associate Professor of Women and Law at Maastricht University. She is a member of the university’s Department on Criminal Law and Criminology and Research School on Human Rights. … Read More
