Formation 1991 Headquarters Rome, Italy | Type ONLUS Leader Patrizio Gonnella | |
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Purpose Protection of rights and the legality of the judicial system | ||
The Association Antigone is a non-governmental association whose head office is in Rome. It deals with the protection of civil rights and the guarantee of the penal system. Particularly, it fosters processing and debates on the model of criminal and procedural law in Italy and its evolution. It collects and dissiminates information about prison life, it is responsible for the preparation of draft laws and the definition of possible lines of amendments in pending approval. Moreover, it promotes campaigns of information and awareness on issues or particular aspects, however, always related to the legal culture of our country.
Contents
- History
- Observatory on prison conditions in Italy
- European Observatory on Prison Conditions
- Observatory on prisons for minors
- The European Centre of studies training documentation and research on criminal law and social exclusion
- The Office of the Ombudsman of the persons deprived of their liberty fostered by Antigone
- Antigone a four monthly critic of the criminal and penitenciary system
- Jailhouse Rock
- References
Antigone has been granted the status of non-profit organization of social utility. The association also develops its own activities thanks to a network of regional offices : Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, the Marches, Apulia, Piedmont, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria, Veneto.
The national organs of the Association are : the shareholders Assembly, the president, the directive committee, the treasurer, the scientific committee, the board of arbitrators.
The current president is Patrizio Gonnella, since 2005.
History
Founded in 1991, Antigone was born in the late eighties in the wake of the homonymous magazine promoted, among others, by Massimo Cacciari, Mauro Palma, Luigi Ferrajoli, Stefano Rodotà and Rossana Rossanda.
The first president of Antigone was Mauro Palma (1991-1999), who were replaced by Stefano Anastasia (1999-2005).
The Association Antigone carries out its activities also thanks to the Observatory on prison conditions in Italy, the European Prison Observatory, the European Centre of studies, training, documentation and research on criminal law and social exclusion, and the Office of the Ombudsman of the persons deprived of their liberty.
Observatory on prison conditions in Italy
The Observatory on prison conditions was created in 1998 and involves around 40 voluntary observers. Visits inside the Italian penitenciary institutions have been authorized by the Ministry of Justice on both regional and national basis. Through periodic visits inside the prisons, they write and update reports regarding these institutions. Extracts from these reports are then published in the form of data sheets in an online Report available on the website of the Observatory. Originally every two years, but since 2008, every year, the Observatory published a Report in paper form, analyzing the Italian prison system and issues related to the custodial sentence, based on direct observations provided by the observers. Until today, there has been eleven reports. Oltre i tre metri quadri. Undicesimo Rapporto sulle condizioni di detenzione in Italia. Torino: Gruppo Abele Editore, 2014
European Observatory on Prison Conditions
Since 2003, Antigone leads a European Observatory on Prison Conditions financed by the European Union, involving nine states today. The European Observatory comes from an old project that Antigone had since way back in 2000 and led to the first agreements with partners and early studies. The organization now operates at full capacity, with a work of comparative research on the prison systems of the countries involved and with an advocacy that aims to influence national and international penal-prison policies and to strengthen mechanisms of human rights protection in places of deprivation of liberty.
Observatory on prisons for minors
Since 2008, Antigone has been authorized to visit every penal institution for Italian minors. We have already published two reports of which the last e-book with the publisher Micromega. 27 people are involved on a voluntary basis, a work even more delicate than that related to adult prisons. Our reports have been considered of great importance to the juvenile judges, and in the last two years we have been invited to present its content to all their partners. Juvenile prisons are just under 20 where there are about 500 children whose stories should be heard so that we could help them.
The European Centre of studies, training, documentation and research on criminal law and social exclusion
Founded in 2005, its activities are transversal to those of the Italian Observatory on prison conditions and the European Observatory. It collects, conserves and organizes official documents, texts and specialized magazines. Through its library, networking with the National Library Service and the online database, it represents a reference for students, simple citizens, police forces, academic researchers, the judiciary, local authorities, and the voluntary sector.
The Office of the Ombudsman of the persons deprived of their liberty fostered by Antigone
In September 2008, Antigone added to the National Observatory on prison conditions a proper ombudsman for the protection of persons deprived of their liberty. It is a non-institutional figure that strengthens the protection of human rights and rights of persons deprived of their liberty, through periodic visits in penal institutions and providing an administrative and legal assistance for the benefit of detainees. The organism uses the Association's voluntary observers, a legal team and collaborates actively with guarantors appointed by local and regional entities. Stefano Anastasia is covering the role of ombudsman of Antigone.
Antigone: a four-monthly critic of the criminal and penitenciary system
From January 2006, under the scientific direction of Claudio Sarzotti, the Association publishes the magazine Antigone, a four-monthly critic of the criminal and penitenciary system published by L'Harmattan Italia.
Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock. Sounds, musicians and played by the world of prisons is a radio broadcast managed by Patrizio Gonnella and Susanna Marietti, respectively president and coodinator of the Association Antigone. In Jailhouse Rock, stories of great musicians intersect with those of our prisons. Detainees from the Roman prison Rebibbia Nuovo Complesso and the Milanese prison of Bollate participate to the broadcast. Giving rise to the first experience of its kind, they realize a radio news from prison (Grc) inside Jailhouse Rock, and also cover from artists treated in transmission. Among regular guests there are the director of the Tuscan Prison Administration Department Carmelo Cantone, the lawyer Mirko Mazzali and the expert on comedy and hidden emotions Lucia Pistella. Each Friday, from 5 pm to 6 pm, live on Radio Articolo 1. You can listen to Jailhouse Rock on Radio Popolare, in the frequencies of Lombardy and other radio from Popolare Network, on Sundays from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Also on air in Controradio (Florence) on Tuesdays at 10.30 pm, on Radio Città del Capo (Bologna) on Saturdays at 2 pm, on Radio Flash (Turin) on Mondays at 8.30 pm, on Radio Popolare Salento on Sundays at 4.30 pm and on Radio Città Aperta (Rome) on Fridays at 2 pm.