2003 News Archives

France - 15th December 2003

FREP holds second annual meeting

The Fédération des Relais Enfants Parents (FREP), a founding member of EUROCHIPS, held its second annual national meeting November 22 and 23 in Toulouse , with professionals and volunteers from France , Belgium and Togo participating (a Relais Enfants Parents opened in Lomé in July 2004). The two-day event featured a series of workshops on maintaining ties between children and imprisoned parents ; support for parents with a child in prison; launching new field-based activities ; and evaluating and monitoring child-centered projects. Alain Bouregba gave an overview of various parliamentary projects currently being weighed in France to facilitate ties between a child and an imprisoned parent. The FREP is lobbying for the reimbursement of transportation costs for families on prison visits ; the creation of child-friendly play areas in all prison establishments ; and the accreditation of various organizations to intervene for accompanying children to see imprisoned parents. Elisabeth Whitelaw presented current work being carried out by the EUROCHIPS network, with an update on its progress in drafting "Prisoners' Children and Family Ties: a Handbook of Practice and Experience," to be presented at a European conference in Strasbourg in 2005.

United Kingdom - October 2003

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC lends her support...

More than 88,500 children in England and Wales are currently without one of their parents because of imprisonment, Lucy Gampell, Director of Action for Prisoners' Families, told senior lawyers on October 30th.

France - 15th October 2003

France's first family ties unit

France's first unité de vie familiale, or "family ties unit," officially opened on September 26, 2003, at the women's maximum security prison in Rennes . The unit, which consists of three 50- square-meter apartments with two separate bedrooms and a living room, allows women detainees to spend up to 72 hours with their partner and/or children. In addition to allowing for the strengthening of family ties, the initiative aims to foster a sense of responsibility among participating detainees, who are in charge of receiving visitors and meal-planning. Justice Minister Dominique Perben supports the initiative and has cited the experience of similar units in Spain as evidence that this kind of unit reduces tension and violence in prisons.

United Kingdom - 3rd October 2003

KIDS VIP organises seminar for prison directors and personnel

EUROCHIPS, in tandem with KIDS VIP in the U.K., organized a study day/seminar for prison directors and personnel from various European countries entitled "Maintaining family ties: Identifying training needs and methods," on 2 October 2003 in Glasgow, Scotland The aim was to foster an exchange of ideas on maintaining family ties for prisoners' children and to generate/discuss material for the purposes of drafting a EUROCHIPS document. The report, Prisoners' Children and Family Ties: a Handbook of Practice and Experience, is to be presented at a European conference in Strasbourg in 2004. Contact: contact@eurochips.org or (33-1) 42 77 85 63 (tel), (33-1) 46 56 29 10 (fax).

Netherlands - 15th September 2003

And Rightly So! My father lives in Venezuela

A documentary film about a child in the Netherlands whose father is imprisoned in Venezuela , "En Terecht! Mijn vader woont in Venezuela" (And Rightly So! My father lives in Venezuela ), premiered in the Netherlands on September 13 and was aired on Dutch television on October 26. Directed by Rene Roelofs and produced by Lemming Film / Leontine Petit & Joost de Vries, the documentary was featured in both the Cinekid 2003 and IDFA 2003 festivals in Amsterdam . It is part of a nine-part series inspired by the UN Rights of the Child, and places great emphasis on the child's perspective. In the words of 13-year-old Roxana: "I didn't know for how long, but I knew he was in prison. At school I told he was there for business because I was afraid to get a bad reputation. I was afraid they would call me a little criminal." She describes how she kept contact with him and how she missed him very much. She also visits a prison complex in Amsterdam to see what a Dutch prison looks like inside. For further information: info@lemmingfilm.com

United States - 13th August 2003

Children of Prisoners Library (CPL) begins at www.fcnetwork.org

The Family and Corrections Network in the United States now has a new on-line information source for people serving children of prisoners and their caregivers: the Children of Prisoners Library, written by Ann Adalist-Estrin, is available at www.fcnetwork.org. Information sheets can be downloaded, duplicated and distributed free of charge.

Belgium - 15th July 2003

Consensus meeting on mothers living with children in prison

EUROCHIPS is organizing a consensus meeting on mothers living with their infants/children in prison, to be held in Brussels on January 16-17 for the purposes of drafting part of a EUROCHIPS document on the issue of children and imprisoned parents. The report, Prisoners' Children and Family Ties: a Handbook of Practice and Experience, is to be presented at a European conference in Strasbourg in 2005. Participants at the Brussels meeting include representatives from seven European countries. For further information: contact@eurochips.org or (33-1) 42 77 85 63 (tel), (33-1) 46 56 29 10 (fax).

Canada - 15th June 2003

Exploratory study on the impact of maternal incarceration on children

The Ontario-based Center for Children & Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic has just published an exploratory study on the impact of maternal incarceration on children. Relying on a sample of 45 women and 90 children and adolescents in Ontario, "Waiting for Mommy: Giving a Voice to the Hidden Victims of Imprisonment" includes surveys of incarcerated mothers and mothers after release and interviews with children and adolescents, as well as a literature review, a hypothetical model of impact for children from four age groups, and recommendations. The study emphasizes the practical and emotional consequences of a mother's imprisonment on a child-the incarceration prompted a change in residence for 43 percent of the children in the sample, for example-and underscores the need for more concerted action, particularly in certain regions of Canada , to meet the special needs of prisoners' children. Only 18 percent of mothers surveyed said their children had been to visit them. For additional information: www.lfcc.on.ca

Northern Ireland - 15th April 2003

“Big Book Share” project launched

Under the "Big Book Share," a new project launched recently at Magilligan Prison in County Londonderry, imprisoned fathers and their children can select a book together during a prison visit, which the father then records onto an audio tape. When the child returns to visit, he or she is presented with a "gift bag" containing the tape and a copy of the book. The project, a collaborative effort by the Northern Ireland Prison Service, the Western Education and Library Board and NIACRO,is an extension of the child visits program under which jailed fathers and their children spend 90 minutes together on a visit over lunch.

United Kingdom - 15th March 2003

KIDS VIP officially joins the EUROCHIPS network

KIDS VIP, a UK-based charity working to bolster the relationship between children and imprisoned parents, has officially joined the EUROCHIPS network. Founded in 1993, KIDS VIP currently operates with a staff of three, working with prisons to set up supervised play areas in prisons, promote good practice in the play areas, and develop special visiting arrangements for children and families, including extended children's visits. They also offer customized training to prison staff, prison play workers and others providing support to prisoners' families. Training involves one to one sessions, group discussions, group tasks, question and answer sessions, case studies and role play and raises awareness on how imprisonment affects children and how staff attitudes and better facilities can improve the visit for children. KIDS VIP is funded primarily by charitable grants and donations, although special events may be financed by the UK prison service. With their help, the numbers of play areas in prisons in England , Scotland and Wales has increased to 104 over the last ten years. The association supports prison play coordinators, play workers and volunteers through annual regional meetings, customized training and discussion groups; a biannual newsletter; and conferences.

United Kingdom - 16th February 2003

Prisoners' Families Helpline

Action for Prisoners' Families is continuing its free hotline for prisoners' families, funded by the Community Fund in the United Kingdom . The service provides information and support to relatives and friends of anyone incarcerated in England and Wales on such issues as visiting rights, how the prison system operates and how to talk to children about the imprisonment of a relative. Calls are taken by five of Action for Prisoners' Families members: HARP, NEPACS, PACT, PFFS and POPS. The hotline is open: 10.00am - 4.30pm from Monday to Friday, 6pm to 8 pm Monday to Thursday, and Saturday 10am - 3pm. For additional information, or leaflets and posters advertising the hotline, contact Lucy Keenan, the Helpline Coordinator, at (44) 020 7384 1987 or e-mail lucykeenan@actionpf.org.uk

Luxembourg - 15th February 2003

Initiative to maintain child-parent ties

A new initiative to maintain child-parent ties for imprisoned mothers and father in Luxembourg is now under way in that country. Launched in 1996 to provide community-based structures to facilitate child-parent relationships, Service Treff-Punkt has extended its work into the Centre Pénitentiaire Luxembourg on behalf of children separated from imprisoned parents. They are offering discussion groups on child-related issues and crafts workshops for parents to make 'transitional objects' for the child, and will be accompanying children on prison visits to see parents, with preparation for the encounter beforehand. The association is composed of psychologists, child care workers and social workers.

Service Treff-Punkt
Contact : Marie-Jeanne Schmitt
Tel/fax : +352 547163
BP 51
L-3801 Schifflange
Luxembourg
e-mail: mee@fm.etat.lu