Data for Monitoring the Safety of Imprisoned Children (Data MOSAIC)
Safeguarding children’s safety, including by preventing violence against children (VAC) in places of detention, must be a priority for any criminal justice system. However, despite commitments by governments, including all European Union (EU) member states, VAC persists, particularly in detention settings. This situation requires robust policy and practical responses with special attention to groups that are often marginalised and discriminated, such as girls, LGBTQI+, disabled, or migrant/ disabled children (with regard to intersectionality of identities), since detention leave them more exposed to violent incidents. Understanding the VAC phenomenon is the first step in tailoring effective responses. This, in turn, relies heavily on coherent, accurate, and comprehensive data collection and analysis practices.
Bearing this in mind, between March 2023 and June 2025, PRI carried out a project in partnership with Terre des Hommes / Tierra de Hombres, the Social Activities and Practice Institute (SAPI) and Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, aiming to tackle violence against imprisoned children in the EU through improved data collection and monitoring practices. Within the scope of this project, Data MOSAIC Data Collection Tool and Guide were developed in Bulgarian, English, French and Romanian and tested in three implementation countries: Bulgaria, Ireland and Romania. (Please check how the tool works in short and more detailed).
The Data Collection Tool and the Guide were developed by leveraging knowledge from in-depth research in the three implementation countries, complemented by follow-up consultations and feedback from key stakeholders. These included frontline and management staff, relevant NGOs, Ombudsman offices, lawyers, and children staying in the facilities. Findings were further complemented by EU-wide scoping research (key findings-infographic), a comprehensive mapping of existing international and regional standards, and the expertise of prominent child justice scholars and experts. The tool was circulated with all relevant partners, and children staying at the facilities to be prepared for the piloting.
Finally, an e-learning course has been developed to help facility staff understand how VAC manifests in detention settings and how the Data MOSAIC Tool can be used to identify and respond to relevant trends. The course is available in English, French, Spanish and Romanian to support wider application. In addition, supplementary materials have been produced to facilitate VAC monitoring and can be replicated in facilities that wish to utilise the Tool.
Including the voices of children has been central to the project. In all critical stages of the project, meetings with children were carried out to learn from their experiences. Their opinions were incorporated into the development of the data points of the Tool and the data collection methodology explained in the Guide. Further, the experiences of children were among the key indicators in addressing the effectiveness of the Tool throughout the testing in implementation countries.
Further comms materials: Introducing the Data MOSAIC Tool & Guide, Oberstown poster – Data Mosaic, Data Mosaic poster for children staying at detention centres in BG, EN, and RO, E-Learning Course one pager,
The project was funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme.
Main resources:
- Data for monitoring the safety of imprisoned children: A European Study
- Monitoring violence against children in criminal justice detention: A compendium of international standards and practices
- Ending Violence Against Children in Detention: Improved Data Collection in the European Union to Achieve SDG16+ Justice for Children
Main deliverables:
Data MOSAIC Tool and Guide: Strengthen monitoring and response to violence against children in detention
E-Learning Course: Ensuring Safety and Protection from Violence for Children in Detention
PRI Alt Eur: Promoting non-discriminatory alternatives to imprisonment across Europe
In January 2021, PRI began a project on alternatives to prison sentences in Europe, funded by the European Union DG Just.
Our partners for this project are the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra.
The project includes a comparative study of European countries’ application of non-custodial sanctions and measures, including consideration of how they affect vulnerable and minority groups. To build systemic capacity for improved, non-discriminatory use and implementation of community-based sentencing measures, training for probation officers, judiciary, and other criminal justice actors was delivered in Hungary and Portugal, as well as a review of legislative instruments informing sentencing in each country. The design of an improved desi pilot projects on alternatives which better meet the needs and circumstances of vulnerable and minority groups.
Read more about alternatives to detention.
Addressing gaps in the implementation and management of alternatives to imprisonment and post-release support during the COVID-19 global pandemic
In January 2022, PRI completed a project funded by the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation (IPPF) looking at the impact on COVID-19 on alternatives to imprisonment and post-release support and addressing the gaps and shortcomings in their implementation and management.
The project included extensive research into the impact of COVID-19 on the use, implementation and experience of non-custodial sentences, resulting in a comparative summary report including 21 EU members states and four country reports reflecting in-depth analysis that was conducted in Georgia, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan and Portugal. The reports informed advocacy strategies in each country to ensure the uptake of recommendations by prison and probation authorities. The project also produced a 10-point plan for crisis-ready non-custodial sanctions and measures, including a summary of key issues experienced by prison and probation services during the COVID-19 pandemic and practical recommendations for service improvements.
The 10-point plan can be used globally to guide better responses to probation and post-release –now with the impact of the pandemic continuing, and in the longer-term.
