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.