PRESS RELEASE

 

 

INTESA SANPAOLO WITH COMO PRISON FOR AN ENTERPRISE PROJECT IN PRISON

 

·       A social industry and vocational training project has been presented for inmates, together with Como prison, the regional Education Authority, corporate customers of Intesa Sanpaolo Regional Management and with Don Gino Rigoldi, the project's inspirer

·       The public-private partnership offers a concrete response to foster the social and labour reintegration of prisoners

 

Como,1 July 2024 - A new enterprise-in-prison project promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's leading banking group positioned at the top of the world in terms of social impact and European leader in sustainable finance, is just being launched at Como Prison. The initiative was presented, together with Como prison, by Don Gino Rigoldi, the inspirer of the project, the regional Education Authorities and the corporate customers hired by the bank's Regional Management in the area, which developed the project coordinated by the Enterprise Sales & Marketing Department headed by Anna Roscio, in order to facilitate the meeting between companies and workers trained at the workshop set up inside the prison.

It promotes a virtuous model of collaboration between private and public entities with a view to the common good and involving, in addition to the banking group, the prison and the regional Education Authorities, the MekTech group, specialised in the design and construction of plants and robotised systems, and the Ozanam cooperative company, which promotes the employment of people in difficulty.

The programme enables eleven inmates to specialise in the construction of complex electrical panels commissioned by MekTech, providing them with technical training for a certificate of attendance of the course for electrical wiring technician and a job, helping facilitate their social rehabilitation and reintegration into professional life. This is a professionalising activity that will allow potential employment once the prisoner has finished serving the assigned sentence.

Intesa Sanpaolo, through the Regional Management in the territory and the Enterprise Sales & Marketing Department, structures of the Banca dei Territori Division headed by Stefano Barrese, has promoted the business project in the Como penitentiary institute, believing that support for the world of prison is essential as part of a broader programme of social commitment for the inclusion of the most fragile also in the world of work, for the reduction of inequalities and the fight against poverty, which represent the pillars of the business plan strongly desired by CEO Carlo Messina.

The initiative was made possible thanks to the involvement of Intesa Sanpaolo per il Sociale, within the Chief Social Impact Officer area headed by Paolo Bonassi, the structure dedicated to combating poverty and promoting social inclusion, which, through collaborations set up on the territory between different subjects, creates alliances and partnerships between the profit and non-profit, public and private sectors.

MekTech, which has fully embraced the initiative, is a high-tech industrial group, based in Giussano (MB), and has committed itself to purchasing the switchboards made by the inmates and intended for the plants and robotised systems produced by the company in the forthcoming years. The collaboration with Ozanam, a Social Solidarity Cooperative in Saronno, which plays the role of 'employer' of inmates, overseeing training activities within the prison and coordinating work activities, is key. For more than 30 years, Ozanam has been working on job placement paths for “fragile” people, which it follows with the help of specialised personnel through individualised paths and in collaboration with local services.

Como prison has coordinated the recruitment and selection of the inmates who will be given the opportunity to participate in the project, as well as having provided for the renovation and bringing up to standard, with ministerial funds, of the premises used for recreational and sports activities as well as the workshop, inaugurated today, which covers an area of approximately 180 square metres inside the prison. Intesa Sanpaolo, thanks to the expertise involved within the Group, supported the renovation of the premises and made available the equipment and working tools, free of charge for the first two years through the Intesa Sanpaolo Group company Rent Foryou, dedicated to operational rental. The entire production process will take place in the workshop, from the arrival of the components to the realisation of the packaged product by the new technicians.

According to data released by the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL) together with the Ministry of Justice, there are more than 60 thousand people detained in Italian prisons, 60 thousand life projects to be collected and rebuilt. 70% are unfortunately likely to repeat offend, losing, after years of imprisonment, the chance for personal redemption and social rehabilitation. Also according to CNEL estimates, repeat offence rates drop to 2% when training and employment is started. The professionalisation of prisoners leads not only to a reduction in the recidivism rate, but also to lower burdens on the community, contributing to social reintegration, less prison saturation and more security for the territory.

This is the context for the social impact project presented today at Como Prison, a bridge between prison and society, with a programme that makes system between the public and private sectors, brings work and training in a logic of rehabilitation of people, reintegration into society, respect for human dignity and offers means to inmates to support their families.

Today's meeting was attended, amongst others, by the Undersecretary for Justice, Andrea Ostellari, Maria Milano Regional Educational Authority for Lombardy, Mektech CEO Gaetano Sauli,  Ozanam Deputy Chairman Edoardo Mazzucchelli and Don Gino Rigoldi, the long-standing chaplain of Beccaria juvenile prison and founder of Comunità Nuova, after whom the foundation that helps young people in difficulty to find work and hosts single women with children is named, opening up the prospect of extending the model to other territories.

Thanks to the fund-raising platform of the For Funding bank, which benefited Como Prison itself, it was possible to create the Percorso Vita, a gymnasium built together with inmates as part of a more extensive project of the Insubria Volunteer Support Centre to promote social and labour inclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

Informazioni per la stampa
Intesa Sanpaolo
Media and Associations Relations
Media Banca dei Territori e Media Locali
stampa@intesasanpaolo.com

 

Intesa Sanpaolo, with over €420 billion in loans and €1.3 trillion in customer financial assets at the end of 2023, is the largest banking group in Italy, with a significant international presence. It is a European leader in wealth management, with a strong focus on digital and fintech. The Group will provide €115 billion of Impact lending by 2025 to support communities and the green transition, together with a €1.5 billion program (2023-2027) to help people in need. The Bank's network of museums, the Gallerie d'Italia, hosts its owned artistic heritage and cultural projects of recognized value.  

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