Project Description
Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of incarcerated parents are forgotten victims of imprisonment. They are overlooked by criminal justice systems that fail to see them as rights holders.
Issue
When a mother or father goes to prison, their children are affected, often adversely.
Imprisonment of one or both of a child’s parents can result in serious and enduring negative effects for the child, including social exclusion, greater financial difficulties, and what can be perceived as abandonment and rejection, particularly when family members and carers conceal the truth of the parent’s whereabouts. It can lead to worse behaviour and achievement in school and affect the child’s mental and physical health.
Children who have had little contact with the imprisoned parent may find their lives are largely unchanged, while some may benefit from being separated from parents who behave dangerously or disturbingly. Every child is different and will cope differently, but the effects on children, good or bad, are rarely considered in criminal justice processes.
The failure to consider or consult children of imprisoned parents at all stages of the criminal justice process – from arrest, to trial, to imprisonment, to release, to rehabilitation into the community – can result in their rights, needs and best interests being overlooked or actively damaged.
The Working Group on Children of Incarcerated Parents
The Working Group was established to support the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its preparations for the 2011 Day of General Discussion on children of incarcerated parents. Following this success, the Working Group has continued to raise awareness about children with parents in prisons at the Human Rights Council, as well as among UN treaty bodies, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and regional and national bodies.
The Working Group aims to provide a link between those working directly with children of incarcerated parents and the UN, particularly its human rights mechanisms to:
- ensure that the development of international standards is informed by children’s realties
- enable those working with and for children of incarcerated parents to use international standards to support their advocacy and practice
The Working Group also provides a space for good practice to be shared between countries and regions leading to improved recognition of the needs of children of incarcerated parents and realisation of their rights.
Conveners:
Luciano Cadoni – Plataforma NNAPEs: lcadoni@cwsglobal.org
Nancy Loucks- INCCIP: nancy.loucks@familiesoutside.org.uk
Resources
It’s Time to Act – CoE Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5: This set of European guidelines is designed to help encourage action, as well as be a useful resource for children, parents and professionals, to better support children with a parent in prison, advocate for and promote their rights.
Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States concerning children with imprisoned parents (2019):
Publication: “The voices of Children & Adolescents who have a father, mother or guardian deprived of Liberty (In Latin America and the Caribbean)”
Childhood that Matters. http://www.cwslac.org/nnapes-pdd/en
Techical Guidance Document to States http://nnapes.org/docs/OTIIN-NNAPES-Summary.pdf
Database of concluding observations on Children of Incarcerated Parents from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
CRC Day of General Discussion 2011 on Children of Incarcerated Parents
An Exhibition on Children of Incarcerated Parents developed around the 2011 Day of General Discussion
The COPING Project on the mental health and wellbeing of children of prisoners
JustUs, a high-quality children of prisoners website
Children of imprisoned parents (Danish Institute for Human Rights report)
Publication: “Invisible No More – NNAPES 2014”
Members & Affiliates
Defence for Children International (DCI)
Switzerland
International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE)
Switzerland
International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents (INCCIP)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Relais Enfants Parents Romands (REPR)
Switzerland
SOS Children's Villages International
Switzerland
Observers
Strategic Partners
International Institute for Child Protection
BUFF Svierge
Families Outside
Lancashire Constabulary
NHS Social Worker
Prison Fellowship International
SEUM (child welfare practice)
The Bridging Group
University College Cork