CHuge horrid and very high ceilings. Iron gates and large keys «as in a comic of the Bassotti band. The prison structure is how it is expected, as you can see it in the movies. What surprises, and who surprised me since the first time I entered it, is the humanity of the people who detained: Women and men who are much more than their sentence. And that, closed in there, they need bridges to remember it». Maria antonietta bergamasco It is a pedagogist, specialized in post -detention re -education, which supports the tailored workshops of Progetto Quid (Veronese social enterprise that has been combined circular economy since 2013 and work inclusion paths) in the district house of Verona Montorio. “Because of this The work in prison is fundamental: preserves everyday life. And it represents normality in a place outside the normal, where time is flattened, the space forced ». Not only that: «With work we can enable dreams».
The story of Silvia, detained, who imagines a life out of prison. In 15 years
Maria Antonietta Bergamasco helps us to understand what it means through the story of a girl, let’s call it Silvia, who entered prison just more than adults, 3 years ago. But he still has 15 years old, in front of them, to be served. “Compared to the population of Montorio, which generally has months, it is an exception. He entered the girl, without awareness of the crime but not even of himself».
Work is an absolute novelty for her, but also a space to grow and inquire. «I remember some of his questions, on a future so difficult to imagine. What can I do with the money I earn? Buy a house? How do you do it? ». The response of the pedagogist? “We try to follow the flow that enables the dream, to help inmates to feed the possibility of thinking differently. Work is important because only by putting money aside this possibility can it become real ».
Among the inmates of Montorio, where a sewing machine “enable the dream”
Work bags of 6 months to 450/550 euros, contracts as such and as those of the employees who work in the Avesa headquarters (VR): «The prisoners who work in prison for Quid – 13 women and 12 men – have the same rights as the people out, including career shots». Only in this way can the dream take shape.
It must be said: it’s a privilege. In a world where The maximum employment is to make the “Scopino” or the “Spesino” (whoever cleans or collects the shopping lists) can be made the “ask” to really work. “These words tell the childhood childhood. Since the qualification, “packaging officer”, the true work sounds differently. But less than 50 of the 500 Montorio prisoners are involved in projects with external realities such as ours. People selected in accordance with the prison administration also on the basis of individual inclinations ».
And it is beautiful, tells the pedagogist, note how above all Women show up in front of their cared for cured, as if they were to go to work outside.
Founded by Anna Fiscale in 2013, Quid is a very high social impact fashion company. 60% of the workforce has a past fragility, 82% are a woman (Photo Progetto Quid)
Keep gender stereotypes in prison
«It also helps the fact that the coordinators of the workshops are examples for these people: women with a migratory background (and 60% of the population of Montorio is migrant) who have managerial tasks. They are models of empowerment and life for prisoners. While Men inmates teach a different possibility of relationship with the female ».
In a place like the prison who, explains Bergamasco, is “to a human scale, malecreated by men for other men “, you have to work a lot for”Break the cultural chains »of gender stereotypes. In women as in men. «Many inmates come from situations in which they were only mothers, women of the house. They work here for the first time e they struggle to understand that they can really, starting from this work, build an autonomy».
Re -education, security tool
Of course, at the basis of this “idea of possible”, there is a conception of prison that is not very fashionable. Especially in the aftermath of theApproval in the Senate of a Security DDL Which, among the many repressive rules, increases the narrow on the prisoners that protest and on the prisoners. “Prison is not a place of repression but of re -education». A re -education that does not need iron gates and giant keys.
“This is demonstrated by the data on alternative measures to prison,” explains the pedagogist. As reported by the Antigone Association, they are less than 1% those that are revoked for the commission of new crimeswhile the recurrence is 70% for those who discount the entire sentence in prison.
Not that getting out of prison is simple. “I often heard say to prisoners released a few days before expected “I was not ready”». Going back “out”, especially after a long time “inside”, is traumatic. «For territorial reasons there are few former prisoners who then continue to work at the” Outside “headquarters in Quid. But we try to assist them so that each one finds his way ».
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