On 6-7 April 2017, in Helsinki, Finland, EuroPris organised the second Family Relations expert meeting. Lucy Gampell and Madelein Kattel, COPE Board members, were present at the meeting, which was a follow-up to the first meeting held in Zagreb, 18-19 May 2016.
The Family Relations expert group comprises 11 experts from European National Agencies (Czech Republic, Croatia, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Catalonia, Scotland, Romania and Slovenia). Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) was invited to attend to contribute ideas and experiences about the subject.
During the expert meetings, the experts present their countries’ best practices, existing initiatives and projects in relation to the developments of family relations in prison services. The group concluded that it is essential to create European standards for prisons on family relations. EuroPris plays an important role in advancing the exchange of knowledge and best practice throughout Europe.
The meeting in Helsinki covered topics including: new developments; statistics and data collection regarding families affected by imprisonment; coordination between different institutions and Prison Services; research regarding transgenerational offending; research on the needs of children with an incarcerated family member. Read more about the Family Relations Expert group.