Prisons in the Academic Research

Caterina Giannattasio

2023-01-01

---

Abstract

In current events, as a result of the “Extraordinary Plan for Prisons”, launched by the government in 2010 to solve the problem of overcrowding, we are witnessing the abandonment of many historic buildings and the construction of new ones. As is well known, the aim is to improve the conditions of the livability of the spaces by inmates, both in terms of health and psychophysics, by what is stated in Article 27 of the Constitution, according to which "punishments may not consist of treatment contrary to the sense of humanity and must aim at the re-education of the convicted person". Therefore, the issue of reuse of disused prison facilities is of particular interest to the scientific community, which is called upon to perform an act of responsibility towards society by returning such architectures, through the research of possible design scenarios, to the city and the territory, according to a double gaze, combining the past with the present and considering their heterotopic nature. As noted, however, the topic is not adequately treated in Academia for various reasons the contribution investigates, highlighting the positive outcomes of the few studies conducted. Starting from this, the work explores the potential of an approach based on a transdisciplinary and shared between universities and public administration through the study - from analysis to project - of the decommissioned Sardinian prison system, outlining scenarios of strategic direction, guided by the idea of assigning to each artefact a renewed active role in the respective context of belonging, contextually contemplating territorial, urban, architectural and socio-economic aspects, as well the values of history, beauty and memory.