Regional Prison Library System | SBCR
SBCR project, aimed at upgrading prison libraries as support facilities to inmate population, has developed over the time through a series of concrete actions that reached the whole inmate population of the six correctional facilities involved: Barcaglione and Montacuto prisons in Ancona, the Casa di Reclusione in Fermo, the Casa Circondariale in Ascoli Piceno, the Casa di Reclusione in Fossombrone, the Casa Circondariale in Camerino (currently closed due to earthquake consequences).
The project in a nutshell
Throughout SBCR project, the concrete actions taken have been served as support tools to the re-educational and re-habilitation programmes proposed to inmate population both through cultural and informative activities and improvements of living conditions and support to inmate psychological well-being.
In particular, projects concerned:
- Review and increase of documents collection according to inmate population needs
- Review and computerisation of the service
- Service management training sessions for inmates
- Promotion of reading activities and intercultural education
- Development of interlibrary loan agreements with public libraries
- Familiarity through the books projects
SBCR projects deliverables
Over the years preserved documentary heritage has increased to almost 40.000 documents: foreign language texts, multimedia documents, comics, books for children and young people addressed to the inmates’ sons.
The average loan per year reaches 5.000 documents and 1.000 beneficiary inmates.
The importance of book as tool of escape and of narrative – even of reading aloud – as a tool of familiarity (in an environment where people suffer a depersonalisation process) is huge and supported by gathered data.
Video made with the contribution of AIB Marche within the SBCR project by AIB Marche, Regione Marche, ATS18, CoopCulture.