Captured fathers and mothers: How children suffer from the detention

In Germany, around 100,000 children are affected by the detention of a parent. This emerges from current reports that address the challenges and effects of the detention on the families concerned. The contact between prisoners and their children is often limited, with the regular visiting times vary greatly. In some prisons, weekly visits are possible, while others only offer one hour a month, which is considerably stressed by the bond between parents and children, such as TV Movie reported.

An example is Sascha K., who is detained in the JVA Meppen for falsification of documents and driving without a driver's license. He tries to take part in the JVA on the family day to see his wife and two sons. Another case is Nico S., who hardly sees his eleven -month -old daughter in prison and suffers from missing contact. Ramona M., who sits in the prison for women in Vechta and was pregnant at the time of her arrest, also gave birth to her child in prison. However, she describes the challenges associated with this situation, but also shows gratitude for the opportunity to be with your child.

The effects of detention on children

The effects on the children are considerable. It is estimated that two thirds of these children show a worse mental constitution compared to their peers. As early as 2018, the Council of Europe called for a reform of the detention system that responds more sensitive to family needs. Children feel great fear and shame when a parent is detained, which can lead to financial difficulties and social isolation of families. Studies show that children of detainees often have more mental and physical problems. The 2012 coping study has shown that children of detainees are under considerable suffering and regular contact with their detained parents is essential to promote their well-being.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Children emphasizes the rights of children, also in relation to detained parents, and demands that regular contact should be granted, provided that it does not contradict the child's welfare. In Germany, the Ministries of Justice decided to implement the European Recommendations nationwide in 2019. By 2023, six federal states have already started with this implementation. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a model project is carried out to support detainees and their children, while the JVA Bielefeld-Brackwede has set up fathers-child groups and family reunions since 2007. In addition, all federal states have been commissioned since 2019 to implement a family -sensitive prison system.