May 12, 2023: the inauguration of the academic year in prison
02.05.2023
On May 12, at 10.30 a.m., the Casa di Reclusione “Due Palazzi” (Auditorium, Via Due Palazzi, 35 – Padova) hosts the the inauguration of the academic year for the University of Padua students involved in the Progetto Università in Carcere.
The ceremony will be held in the presence of the Magnificent Rector, Daniela Mapelli, the Provveditore for the Triveneto Maria Milano Franco d'Aragona, and the Director of the Casa di Reclusione, Dr Claudio Mazzeo. The ceremony will be attended by the Delegate and Coordinator of the Progetto Università in Carcere, Francesca Vianello, tutors, and enrolled students.
The inaugural lecture Benessere e sport: il segreto della longevità will be delivered by Pro-rector Antonio Paoli.
This will be followed by a concert with the musical group La cattiva strada.
Thanks to the Accessibility and Inclusion Working Group, which is part of the project Musei al futuro – Padova Città della Scienza, it will be possible to visit an exhibition of materials from the University Museums, set up inside the Prison. The fil rouge will be the right to study, while the presentation method will be the Museo in valigia.
The event will end with an inaugural toast and the University badges delivery to newly enrolled students.
The Progetto Università in Carcere was born in 2003, when the University of Padua signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Justice – Dipartimento dell’Amministrazione Penitenziaria – to bring university education into the prison environment, promoting an educational offer dedicated to people in detention throughout the whole Triveneto.
The University of Padua is one of the promoters of the Conferenza Nazionale dei Delegati dei Rettori per i Poli Universitari Penitenziari(CNUPP), a network of universities created to guarantee the right to promote university education for people in detention.
«This project brings the commitment of our University within the casa di reclusione of Padua, ensuring the possibility of higher education for all – says Prof. Francesca Vianello, the Rector's delegate for the Progetto Università in Carcere – the presence of universities in prisons can be a resource for everyone, for people in detention, of course, but also for the staff and the management: the comparison opens the eyes, stimulating new perspectives. Padua has opened up a path shared by 40 other Italian universities: something important was done, but much remains to do».
There are currently 63 inmate students enrolled at the University of Padua: 47 at the Casa di Reclusione Due Palazzi (Padua), 1 at the Casa Circondariale (Padua), 13 in external penal execution and 2 transferred to other national penal institutions. There are 15 tutors involved in the project.
