Invisible victims of crime and punishment
by KIMMO MÄNTYLÄ, HELSINKI TIMES
Children of imprisoned parents may experience bullying and harassment in school.
A recent report has found that children across Europe suffer from discrimination and hardship when their parents are imprisoned.
Children of Imprisoned Parents was researched by experts at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the European Network for Children of Imprisoned Parents (EUROCHIPS), Bambinisenzasbarre and the University of Ulster and calls for action to ensure the rights of children of imprisoned parents.
In the European Union some 800,000 children are separated from a parent by imprisonment.
Children of imprisoned parents may experience bullying and harassment in school or by the wider community. They also experience material loss and emotional difficulties, thus becoming the invisible victims of the criminal justice process, bearing the consequences of their parents’ action.
The report is based on case studies from Denmark, Italy, Poland and Northern Ireland. It examines the various stages of the criminal justice process – from arrest to release – through the eyes of the children affected, their parents, police and prison officers and social workers.
It concludes that while some positive initiatives are in place in individual prisons, these remain marginal in the context of the overall criminal justice system. Change is urgently needed across Europe, it is argued in the report, to fully protect and respect the rights of children of imprisoned parents.
The report also calls for improvements to be made on a range of specific issues, including arrest, remand, sentencing, placement, visiting rights and information, support and guidance.
Ombudsman expresses concern
There are an estimated 8,000-10,000 children in Finland with a parent in prison. “The trauma of having a parent in jail should be minimised for the children,” says chairperson of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children in Finland Maria Kaisa Aula.
The ombudsman wishes to see improvements in several areas, including in training of prison staff in how to deal with children and more child-friendly arrangements in meeting areas and other practices. All children have the legal right to keep in touch with their parents, unless there are specific reasons to the contrary.
Information on the imprisonment of a parent needs to be tailored to the child’s age and level of development. Additionally, the specific forms of support a prisoners’ child may need should be taken into account in child welfare more generally, says Aula.
“Currently practices vary widely across the country. Coherent guidelines are needed for prisons and child welfare providers, as is more education on best practices and greater awareness of the children’s needs.”
Because children of prisoners can be the targets of discrimination at school or playschool, Aula adds, steps for preventing and intervening in bullying in these cases are also in need of improvement.
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