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Children are directly impacted by having a parent in prison. These children are often more vulnerable to stigma, social isolation, shame and fear. Children with a parent in prison are not typically given adequate consideration by the judicial system throughout their parent’s arrest, sentencing and time in prison. This lack of consideration means that children of prisoners become “collateral victims” of a crime they did not commit.
Nearly one million children in Europe have a parent in prison. Despite the great number of children impacted by a parent’s incarceration, Children of Prisoners Europe is the only network in Europe working exclusively on behalf of these children.
A recent research consortium,The COPING Project, funded by the European Union (Seventh Framework Programme, Health Theme) has written a report on the interventions and mitigating actions required to strengthen the mental health of children with a parent in prison. Read this report here.