We are delighted to announce the official launch of EPO4YOUTH – Advancing Juvenile Justice and Detention Conditions in Europe, a new Erasmus+ project that officially starts today and will run for the next 30 months.
The project is coordinated by Antigone and implemented by a consortium of 10 partners from across Europe, all committed to strengthening the European Prison Observatory (EPO) and focusing on one of the most urgent and underexplored areas of the justice system: the conditions of young people in detention.
Why EPO4YOUTH?
Despite the existence of international standards and legal frameworks designed to safeguard detainees’ rights, the reality in many European juvenile detention centers remains far from ideal. Conditions vary widely from one country to another, and the implementation of existing rules is often inconsistent.
EPO4YOUTH was born out of the need to address these gaps, creating a more cohesive European effort to ensure that the fundamental rights of young detainees are respected and promoted.
Main activities
Over the next two and a half years, the project will:
- Strengthen the EPO network, enhancing coordination and knowledge-sharing across countries.
- Update research on juvenile detention, producing comprehensive national reports and launching a shared open-source database to support evidence-based policymaking.
- Promote civil society involvement through advocacy campaigns, ensuring more transparency and accountability in detention centers.
- Encourage inclusive practices, especially small-scale detention models that prioritize the dignity and needs of young people.
- Build capacity, including peer-to-peer exchanges among detention professionals and training for 30 young journalists to foster responsible and rights-based reporting on minors in conflict with the law.
To mark the start of this ambitious journey, partners will gather soon in Budapest for the project’s Kick-Off Meeting. This will be a key moment to align strategies, set the roadmap for the months ahead, and strengthen collaboration among all consortium members.
Combining research, advocacy, training, and dissemination, EPO4YOUTH aims to shed light on the challenges of juvenile detention and to pave the way for systemic reforms across Europe. At its core, the project seeks to build a justice system that respects diversity, fosters inclusion, and protects the dignity of all young people.
Stay tuned—we’ll be sharing more updates as the project unfolds! ✨
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