Coucil of Europe: Deputy Secretary General Maud De Boer visits the new prison for mothers with children

On Friday 15 June 2012, Maud De Boer, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, visited the women's prison called "Casa di reclusione donna", a custodial institution designed to meet the needs of detained mothers, who have their children with them. The Italian law, in fact, provides that children aged from 0 to 3 years can remain in prison with their mothers.

As reported on several occasions by representatives of the voluntary sector, however, conventional prisons have a strong negative impact on young children. The women's prison, that has been realized thanks to the collaboration of the cooperative "Il Cerchio" and that will open in September 2012, was founded with the aim to give to inmates women and their children the opportunity to live a "normal" life, without the constraints and the harsh conditions of imprisonment, which characterize standard prisons.

The Deputy Secretary General, after the visit, said that the structure represents a "unique case in Italy," which should be taken as an example from other European States. Ms. Boer drew attention to the fact that children of the inmates can not be held under detention and concluded by pointing out that the Council of Europe, in 2010, adopted the "Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on child-friendly justice", which consitute part of the Council of Europe strategy for the promotion and protection of the rights of children and that address, among others, all the situations in which children come into contact with the justice system, including cases of detention of their parents.

Last update

18/6/2012