Putting People to Work Means Combating Recidivism

Lack of employment is recognized as a fundamental risk factor for delinquency, as well as for recidivism once an individual is released from prison. In this sense, working and job training activities for inmates can have a significant impact on recidivism, mainly through two channels. First of all, the fact that a prisoner participates in an activity of this type signals their propensity to work to potential future employers, enriching their CV and therefore facilitating hiring upon release from prison.

Secondly, having worked gives the inmate experience and skills which increase the chances of holding onto the job once hired. Rehabilitation activities in prison, especially those work-related, are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Access to education, work and training while in prison (or while serving non-custodial sanctions) not only contributes to Goal 1 (Zero Poverty) of SDGs, but also to Goal 4, which is to provide quality and learning opportunities for all, and Goal 8, namely the promotion of inclusive economic growth characterized by full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Providing employment and training opportunities to inmates is in fact important to combat the forced idleness and the sense of apathy and boredom typically induced by the prison condition through meaningful activities, and at the same time improve the inmates' post-release job prospects, often quite poor. For this to happen, the work must be of high professional value, as well as being carried out in safe conditions and with the necessary protections. For work and training activities implemented in a prison context to be effectively able to improve the future employment prospects of convicts, it is necessary to involve actors external to the penitential world, something foreseen by the Italian legislator (art. 17 of Penitential Regulations).

In particular, in the case of training and work activities, the intervention of business actors would be invaluable in guaranteeing, firstly, the matching between training provided to inmates and the skills required by the labor market, and secondly to ensure, in case of fruitful collaboration with the prisoner, their direct insertion into the world of work following their release.

However, data shows us that companies are not very committed to employing these people and therefore to embracing the social cause of combating recidivism. According to Italian government data, in 2022 only 0.4% of detained people, compared to a prison population of 56,196 as of 31 December, had employment relations with companies. Mostly, job opportunities not coming from the Penitentiary Administration are offered by social cooperatives (but they still account for less than 5% of the total).

The limited presence of private firms in prisons is certainly attributable to a difficulty of relations with prison administrations, both due to the different organizational cultures and the need to create and adapt spaces for job activities, but it is also a symptom of the social stigma and cultural prejudice still present in Italian society, a prejudice mostly due to lack of knowledge about this world. Yet, the social impact that companies could generate is large not only with respect to the aforementioned contribution to SDGs but also by decreasing the social cost of recidivism, and increasing security and legality. Furthermore, collaborating with prisons or being partners of social cooperatives already active in penal institutions would help foster a culture of inclusion in private working contexts and therefore make a significant contribution to company policies on diversity and inclusion.