Naples – A day of inspection and comparison was experienced today at the Pasquale Mandato prison in Secondigliano, where the regional guarantor of prisoners in Campania, Samuele Ciambriello, led a delegation from the regional observatory on the conditions of people deprived of personal liberty.
Accompanied by institutional representatives, lawyers and members of associations such as Antigone Campania and 'Il carcere Possibile', Donut met with the director of the facility, Giulia Russo, for an in-depth look at the ongoing initiatives and the training and work activities involving the inmates.
The visit began with a tour of the farm, where some lifers are busy with crops, and then continued to the Arts and Crafts Center (Pam), which houses a carpentry workshop with ten inmates working on projects for the regional prison administration.
Also of particular interest is the tailoring workshop, located in the Mediterranean Department, where liturgical clothes and accessories recycled from the uniforms of the Penitentiary Police are made, and the ceramics workshop, a symbol of the importance given to creativity as a tool for emancipation and social reintegration.
The delegation also visited the psychiatric ward (Atsm), dedicated to intensive care for prisoners with mental problems, and the Ionian ward, which houses prisoners under high security conditions.
A stop at the University Center was not missed, established in 2019 and now the largest in Italy, where 103 inmates are enrolled in degree courses and ten of them will earn their degree with the March sessions. During the visit, it was possible to attend a remote lesson of the food and wine course.
The itinerary ended with a meeting with the inmates transferred from the women's prison in Pozzuoli, closed in May 2023 due to damage caused by seismic events. A moment that brought to light some critical issues, as the Guarantor Ciambriello underlined: "Two aspects emerged clearly: on the one hand, hospital visits and those of necessity are often skipped due to lack of supplies, due to the lack of staff in the Secondigliano translation unit.
On the other hand, it is urgent to talk about prison in a constitutional sense, promoting alternative measures to detention. Article 27 of the Constitution speaks of punishments in the plural, but unfortunately delays in decisions by the surveillance magistrates are frequent, also due to a lack of personnel".
Regional Councilor Roberta Gaeta added: “If we want prison to truly be a place of re-education, we must adopt a far-sighted view of its problems. Greater involvement of all institutions would allow for a more effective reintegration of people deprived of their liberty, offering them new opportunities and encouraging their return to society with an active and positive role.”
The visit has therefore highlighted both the excellence of the Secondigliano prison, such as the university and artisan centers, and the challenges still open, including the lack of personnel and the need for structural reforms to guarantee a penitentiary system more respectful of constitutional rights and the needs of social reintegration.
Article published on March 17, 2025 - 21pm
