interviews by Nastassja Martin
Interview: Alessia Rosolen — Regional Councillor for Education, Training, University and Family, Friuli Venezia Giulia; Prof. Stefano Ciampi — Delegate of the Rector for the Prison University Program, University of Trieste
Authorities in Friuli Venezia Giulia region have launched a three-year initiative that will allow people in prison to pursue university degrees, expanding educational opportunities as part of broader rehabilitation efforts.
The program brings together the regional government, the Universities of Trieste and Udine, and Italy’s penitentiary administration under an agreement signed in June. It now enters its operational phase with an initial survey of approximately 700 inmates across the region’s five prisons to assess their educational qualifications, interests and readiness for university study.
Regional education councillor Alessia Rosolen said the initiative complements existing vocational training programs funded through the European Social Fund, which has allocated €2 million for skills development among incarcerated people.
Rather than focusing solely on enrollment, the project is designed to provide academic support throughout a student’s university career, including orientation, tutoring, internships where possible and pathways toward employment after release.
Officials said the first stage will map educational demand inside prisons, evaluate technological infrastructure needed for remote learning, and recruit university students and recent graduates to serve as peer tutors.
According to Alberto Quagliotto, a senior official with the regional penitentiary administration, more than 150 inmates in Friuli Venezia Giulia already possess the academic qualifications required to enter university, while 34 have expressed interest in beginning degree programs. Proposed fields of study range from artificial intelligence and economics to the humanities.
The agreement also extends beyond prison walls, covering people serving alternative sentences under community supervision in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto and the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano.
University representatives described the partnership as an effort to strengthen the constitutional right to education while supporting the rehabilitative function of Italy’s penal system. The initiative aims to balance prison security requirements with access to higher education, using dedicated classrooms and digital learning tools to make university study possible during incarceration.
