Rome, 21 July 2022
Minister Marta Cartabia for the Ministry of Justice and CEO Luigi Ferraris for the FS Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding titled, “Mi Riscatto per il Futuro” (“I Redeem Myself for the Future”), which envisages cooperation between the signatories aimed at facilitating the social reintegration of prisoners through targeted education, training and vocational orientation projects along with possible employment in intramural initiatives and programmes for public benefit.
The Memorandum of Understanding, which has a three-year duration, also foresees the formation of a working group that will have multiple tasks, including the study and verification of the initiatives launched under the agreement and aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Objectives.
“Collaborations with prestigious companies operating on a national level are an indispensable tool for the Prison Administration to best fulfil its institutional mandate, offering significant training and work opportunities to give a sense of purpose to the sentence,” commented Minister Marta Cartabia, going on to highlight “symbolic aspects of this agreement are Ferrovie dello Stato evoking the idea of network and connections, which are the opposite,” added the Keeper of the Seals, “of the isolation that generally accompanies the prison world.”
“The signing of this protocol with the Ministry of Justice confirms the FS Group’s particular commitment to supporting social projects aimed at people in fragile and marginalised conditions,” stated FS CEO Luigi Ferraris. Solidarity is definitely a cornerstone of social sustainability and sustainability permeates all of our activities. In this context, I would like to mention the 18 Help Centres housed in our stations, which conduct over 49,000 interventions every year to assist people in difficulty, activating paths of recovery and social reintegration. Or, yet again, initiatives such as the Solidarity Train, which ensures trips for those who cannot afford to travel by train for family reunification or to attend training courses.”
A total of 110 agreements have been signed so far with the “Mi Riscatto per il Futuro” model and aimed at the social rehabilitation of the individual. Like its predecessors, this also envisages the possible involvement of international partners. To date, approximately 1,500 people serving time have been involved in road maintenance, restoring signage, the maintenance of public green spaces, restoration of environmental assets and other activities with a significant social impact.
The training activities envisaged in the agreement – diversified for individual projects – shall be conducted by FS Group staff and involve inmates identified in accordance with the Ministry. The common goal shall be to develop new professional skills as the starting point of the social reintegration process.