A recent report by the Civil Society in the Penal System (CİSST) has revealed a growing number of children living behind bars with their mothers, while the inmate numbers continue to rise in Turkey’s overcrowded prisons.
According to the CİSST, as of March 891 children under the age of six are living with their mothers in prison, up from 822 a year ago. The report also shows that 4,524 minors between the ages of 12 and 18 are being held in juvenile detention centers, including 216 girls.
The total prison population in Turkey has reached 412,991, exceeding official capacity by 35 percent. This represents a sevenfold rise since 2002, when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power.
Women account for 19,728 inmates, according to the data.
There are 476 inmates with disabilities, including those with visual, hearing, speech or orthopedic impairments. The number of prisoners aged 65 and older stands at 6,572.
The data also show that 348,735 inmates have been convicted, while 64,256 are being held in pretrial detention.
Turkey was by far the leader in the number of prisoners in Europe, according a 2023 report released by the Council of Europe. The country experienced a 439 percent surge in its prison population between 2005 and 2023, surpassing all other European countries in terms of the rate of increase.
In response to this growth, the Turkish government continues to expand the prison system. Nine new prisons are expected to open in 2026, five in 2027 and two in 2028. The total number of prisons in Turkey will reach 424 by the end of 2028.
The number of children accompanying their mothers in prison in Turkey skyrocketed in the aftermath of a coup attempt on July 15, 2016, when thousands of women were arrested due to their alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has targeted followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by the late Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since corruption investigations in December 2013 implicated him as well as some members of his family and inner circle. He dismissed the probes as a Gülenist conspiracy and later designated the movement a terrorist organization in May 2016, intensifying a sweeping crackdown after a failed coup attempt in July of the same year that he accused Gülen of orchestrating. The movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity
Under Turkish law, women who are pregnant or who have given birth within the past 18 months cannot be made to serve prison sentences. Article 16(4) of the Law on the Execution of Sentences stipulates that incarceration must be postponed for the duration of pregnancy and until the child is 18 months old.
However, these protections apply only after a sentence has become final. In practice, courts have ordered the pretrial detention of pregnant women while their cases are still under appeal, arguing that the postponement rule does not extend to pretrial custody.
Critics say this interpretation undermines both the spirit of the law and international standards such as the United Nations’ “Bangkok Rules,” which call for non-custodial measures for pregnant women and mothers with young children.
Founded in 2006 in İstanbul, the CISST advocates for the protection of prisoners’ rights and freedoms. The organization is dedicated to ensuring that prison conditions, practices and policies in Turkey uphold human dignity and adhere to universal human rights standards.
