Investing in the social reintegration of incarcerated individuals

Issue 2/2024 of the journal Welfare and Ergonomics stems from the desire to examine the total institution par excellence, still active and deeply significant today: the prison. A place symbolically and physically removed from urban space, which continues to represent a challenge for our model of democratic coexistence and welfare.

Starting from a sociological and legal approach, the volume aims to reflect on the condition of individuals deprived of their liberty and on the very meaning of punishment, beginning with a fundamental question: how can welfare contribute to building concrete paths for social reintegration, while respecting human dignity and constitutional principles?

The contributions featured in the journal, edited by Alberto Pesce and Veronica Valenti, address several crucial issues: prison overcrowding, the system’s difficulties in ensuring care, training, emotional relationships, and work for incarcerated persons, as well as the specific condition of women and transgender individuals in prison, who are often doubly marginalized. Space is also dedicated to the contribution of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and restorative justice as alternative tools and visions for reforming criminal enforcement.

This issue develops from a critical perspective, strongly inspired by thinkers such as Goffman, Foucault, and Camus, and is oriented towards deconstructing stereotypes and security-focused policies that risk reinforcing exclusion and recidivism. Social and professional reintegration is not only a rehabilitative goal but an essential condition for a more just and secure society.

The journal therefore also questions the model of community we intend to build: a community that recognizes solidarity and shared responsibility as its foundation, where truly “no one is saved alone.”