Stop and think

Stop and think, this time invaded and conditioned by the virus is forcing many people to change their life habits. Those used to escape from themselves in a thousand ways suddenly found themselves alone with themselves, thus being able to take the opportunity to rethink their lives, priorities, gestures and choices made over the years. This is what happens to many inmates, even without the pandemic. Stop and think: stop and think. The prison can also be read like this, an opportunity to review the actions taken to end up locked up. A path that should be helped and supported. But we are well aware of the situation of our prison system, which is too much based on punishment and little on re-education and reintegration into society. Now the coronavirus is upsetting this bad balance.

The various institutes around the country explode due to overcrowding, due to the chronic lack of health care. The Government has introduced some provisions that allow the sentence to be terminated at home and has extended the award licenses until June 30, 2020. A drop in the bucket that allows to reduce the burden in particular on some institutions. However, the emergency is also putting into play the transversal solidarity that involves everyone, even the prisoners. And so that faced with the great demand for basic necessities, the Department of the Penitentiary Administration decided to involve the prisoners in a solidarity project.

It therefore launched, for the first time throughout the territory, a collaboration with the Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus in order to activate a collection of foodstuffs that involves all prisons. The regional superintendents and directors were consulted inviting them to promote a food collection through the "survivor" system through which prisoners can voluntarily allocate part of their weekly expenditure to the food bank.

The initiative is also extended to prison staff. Collection points for food purchased for solidarity have been set up in the institutes. As soon as this initiative started, the Banco Alimentare della Lombardia, through the Incontro e Presenza association, was able to collect the food collection made by the inmates of the Prison House di Milano Bollate: almost 250 kilos of "generosity" for the most needy out of prison. Another important step of contamination between who is inside and who is outside.

Chiara Genisio
NP may 2020