The cooperation between EuroPris and the European Network for the Work with Perpetrators (WWP EN) is grounded in a shared commitment to improving responses to domestic violence across Europe, including within criminal justice and custodial settings.
Domestic violence remains highly prevalent in Europe, with 1 in 3 women having experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) EU-wide survey on violence against women. A significant proportion of perpetrators of domestic violence come into contact with prison systems. This creates both responsibility and an opportunity: prison sentences can serve not only as punitive measures but also as structured intervention periods during which behaviour and attitudes-change work can be initiated. However, the availability, quality, and theoretical grounding of domestic violence perpetrator programmes in prisons vary considerably across European countries.
Ensuring that prison-based programmes are safe, effective, and aligned with victim-protection principles requires the application of recognised quality frameworks. WWP EN has developed European Standards for Perpetrator Programmes, which provide guidance on programme design, implementation, inter-agency cooperation, and victim safety. While these Standards are widely referenced in community settings, there is a need to reflect on how and to what extent they can possibly be applied in the custodial setting.
The cooperation with EuroPris is therefore highly relevant. EuroPris brings together prison and correctional services from across Europe and offers direct access to institutional knowledge, operational realities, and policy frameworks within custodial systems. Through this partnership, WWP EN’s expertise on perpetrator work and quality standards will be meaningfully connected with prison practice, supporting the development of effective, context-sensitive domestic violence perpetrator programmes in prisons.