Here is “Second Chance”: job opportunities for prisoners and incentives for companies that hire them

It's called Second Chance and it's a project aimed at the social and work reintegration of prisoners.

The initiative is part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023 between FIPE-Confcommercio, the Seconda Chance Association and the Department of Penitentiary Administration of the Ministry of Justice . A project, already active in several Italian cities, which as mentioned aims to create new work and training opportunities for deserving prisoners who are close to the end of their sentence, supporting them in the reintegration process through concrete training and employment paths.

The presentation of the initiative was held today in Cagliari, at the headquarters of Confcommercio Sud Sardegna in via Santa Gilla 6.

The meeting was attended by Emanuele Frongia, president of FIPE Confcommercio Sud Sardegna , who together with the acting director of the Uta prison Marco Porcu , the contact person for Seconda Chance Sardegna Donatella Gallistru and the contact person for Fipe Confcommercio for the union relations, social security and training area and head of labor Andrea Chiriatti (who spoke via videoconference) illustrated the details of the initiative and the development prospects for the territory.

During the press conference, Emanuele Frongia underlined the importance of an initiative that combines social responsibility and economic development: "Offering a second chance to those who have shown they want to rebuild their lives is a fundamental value for our society. Work is a powerful tool for inclusion and reintegration, and it is our duty, as a trade association, to support businesses that want to contribute to this cause. The Memorandum of Understanding with Seconda Chance represents an opportunity for our territory, capable of generating benefits not only for the prisoners involved, but also for the local business fabric".

One of the key aspects of the project concerns the benefits provided for companies that choose to join. "The Smuraglia Law provides tax incentives for those who hire or train prisoners admitted to external work or semi-liberty, with tax credits of up to approximately 520 euros per month for each worker employed. This support mechanism represents a further stimulus for businesses in the restaurant and commercial sectors which, in addition to contributing to the rehabilitation of these people, can benefit from concrete economic advantages", explained Andrea Chiriatti. Adding: "The implementation of the project in Southern Sardinia marks an important step towards a more effective and structured inclusion system. The goal is to create synergies between institutions, businesses and associations to expand employment and training opportunities, restoring dignity and prospects to those who are preparing to reintegrate into society".

"This is a very important initiative in the context of the implementation of the re-educational treatment provided for by the constitution and the penitentiary system, finally inmates are offered real job opportunities, with external employers, which allows them to finally deal with the outside world and begin that path that leads them to reintegration into society ", said Marco Porcu, director of the Uta prison, "the inmates are enthusiastic because they perceive that they have a second chance, just as the employers are very happy because the inmates are even more motivated than other workers".

"The most requested figures - explained Donatella Gallistru, contact for Sardinia of Seconda Chance - are low-level ones, such as dishwashers, assistant cooks, warehouse workers and laborers, but higher-level figures are also required such as cooks, drivers and bricklayers, or even electricians and mechanics. Typically we are offered interviews with young people from 20 to 45 years old, even if we also interview sixty-year-olds. At the moment, for a little over a year , about ten inmates from the Uta and Bancali prisons have been involved, some have been reconfirmed and given a permanent employment relationship . And so, our world, the one we live in, and where our children live, becomes a more beautiful world".

"We invite companies in our area to participate in this process, because we strongly believe that the work inclusion of prisoners is an investment for everyone's future," concluded Frongia.

Interested companies can send an email to: sardegna@secondachance.net.

(Unioneonline/lf)