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A prison in
Leeuwarden in the province of Friesland is experimenting with a special wing
for fathers aimed at bringing down repeat offending, the Volkskrant reported
over the weekend.
The wing, which is expected to open officially next year,
consists of a family room where fathers and children can play or do homework
together unsupervised by close circuit cameras but with staff present. They
will also have the possibility to use Skype to talk to their children at home.
‘If a father is concerning himself with the future of his child he is also
working on his own future,’ director of the prison Anna Nijstad told the paper.
‘Fathers stay in contact with their family. That increases the chances of a
successful reintegration after the sentence has been served.’
Some 900
convicted criminals are sent to the Leeuwarden prison a year, of which 400 are
men with families. Some 20 fathers are participating in the project, which is
based on a similar project at a Welsh prison. Parc Prison has had a special
wing for delinquent fathers for years which has resulted in fewer of them
re-offending, the paper writes.
Participants will only be eligible for the
privilege after a strict screening and will be under the supervision of the
probation services and social organisations.
Strengthening the bond between
children and their delinquent fathers is a potentially great way of limiting
reoffending, according to Leeuwarden mayor Ferd Crone.
‘Perhaps the most
important reason not to get reoffend is that men don’t want to disappoint their
children and partners again,’ he told the paper.
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