Country | Age Limit |
Austria | 3 years old |
Belgium | 3 years old |
Bulgaria | 1 year old |
Croatia | 3 years old |
Cyprus | 2 years old |
Czech Republic | 3 years old |
Denmark | 3 years old |
Estonia | 3 years old |
Finland | 3 years old |
France | No fixed age limit in French legislation (but in practice, the majority have less than 1 year old) |
Germany | 3/6 years old |
Greece | 3 years old |
Hungary | 1 year old |
Ireland | 1 year old* |
Italy | Up to 3 years old in prison Up to 6 years old in ICAM (Istituto a Custodia Attenuata per Madri detenute) Up to 10 years old in sheltered family houses* |
Latvia | 4 years old* |
Lithuania | 3 years old |
Luxembourg | No fixed age limit in Luxembourgish legislation. |
Malta | 1 year old* |
Netherlands | 4 years old |
Norway | Children are not allowed to live with their parent in penal institutions |
Poland | 3 years old |
Portugal | 5 years old |
Romania | 2 years old |
Slovakia | Children are not allowed to live with their parent in penal institutions |
Slovenia | 2 years old |
Spain | 3 years old |
Sweden | Based on an individual evaluation |
Switzerland | 3 years old |
UK: England and Wales | 18 months |
UK: Northern Ireland | Children are not allowed to live with their imprisoned parent in penal institutions |
UK: Scotland | Children are not allowed to live with their imprisoned parent in penal institutions |
Source: Aebi, M. F., Cocco, E., Molnar, L. & Tiago, M. M., (2022). SPACE I – 2021 – Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics: Prison populations. Strasbourg: Council of Europe, Table 2.3.
*Ireland, age limit for children living in prisons: retrieved from Citizens Information (https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/).
*Italy, age limit for children living in prisons: retrieved from Antigone, 2019 (“Donne, non solo numeri. Uno sguardo qualitativo sulla detenzione femminile”, XV rapporto sulle condizioni di detenzione).
*Latvia, age limit for children living in prisons: retrieved from COE SPACE I 2020.
*Malta, age limit for children living in prisons: retrieved from COE SPACE I 2020.