We’ve been writing about inmate rehabilitation and reentry programs here in the US, but we thought we’d start looking at inmate rehabilitation programs in other countries.
We recently read a very interesting example in the New York Times, about Italian inmates learning the art of winemaking. The article, A Fruity Italian Blend, Redolent of Fresh Air and Rehabilitation, talks about the success of the inmate rehabilitation program on a tiny island off the coast of the Italian province of Tuscany. In the prison on the island of Gorgona, inmates work in the vineyards, and together with the famous Frescobaldi winemaking family, produce great, as well as very expensive, wine.
The philosophy that guides the penitentiary is that “the problem of closure is overcome when you begin to open up to the outside.” That’s why the inmates work in the vineyards (as well as in various other farming-related activities) and have open access to the grounds from dawn until a late-evening lockdown. As one of the inmates commented, even though it’s still a prison, the day flies because of the work, the fresh air, and most importantly because the work provides hope for the future.
That’s also why the Frescobaldis, one of Italy’s oldest winemaking families, came to this remote island to help with a new approach to incarceration. Since 2012, Frescobaldi enologists and agronomists have been teaching a select group of Gorgona’s inmates about winemaking, also in the aim to providing skills for life after release.
Photo courtesy: http://www.intravino.com/grande-notizia/da-fukuoka-a-frescobaldi-il-vino-del-carcere-di-gorgona-profuma-di-rieducazione-e-liberta/
In Italy, recidivism is high, around 80%, but rehabilitation and education programs such as the one in Gorgona have shown that when given education, training, or access to a job, recidivism drops to 20%. As one of the educators in the Gorgona training program says, the best thanks is when an inmate, once released, is not sent back to prison.
The inmates working in Gorgona receive a monthly wage, which is about two thirds of what they would get on the outside, based on the provincial agricultural labor contract. The inmates consider it a step toward independence, and lessening their reliance, and the burden, on their families.
And one of the perks – getting to celebrate the 2013 vintage of Gorgona wine with a toast!
Photo courtesy: http://www.viaggi-lowcost.info/cosa-fare/isola-gorgona-frescobaldi-vini/
In 2014, 2,500 bottles and 200 numbered magnums of Gorgona were produced, many headed to foreign markets. In the US, a bottle of the inmate-produced wine costs around $90. The wine label includes an explanation of the penitentiary project.
You can read more about this: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/world/europe/prisoners-in-gorgona-learn-the-art-of-winemaking.html?_r=1
Do you have a story or opinion to share? What do you think about this program? Do you know of anything similar in the US?
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