Summary
One of the main problems related to the re-educational function of detention measures is the lack of social reintegration programs that accompany the juvenile leaving the juvenile penal institution once the sentence has been served. In the case of juveniles exiting prison, this lack often severely undermines the possible educational path completed within the IPM, increasing the risk for the juvenile as well as the chances of recidivism and re-offense. The institution experience often ends with substantial abandonment of the subject by the institutions. The young person, once exiting detention, finds themselves again in the same situation and conditions in which they lived before the detention experience. The high rate of recidivism, confirmed by the available data, highlights the inadequacy of institutions in facilitating a positive reintegration of the boy within society and, in the latter, determining dynamics and opportunities for acceptance.
In particular, in the case of foreign youths who have been subjected to detention, the problems related to job placement add up to those related to obtaining a residence permit, finding a housing and family solution, and health protection. The TOM TOM Project aims to facilitate a connection between the needs, aspirations, and plans of young people leaving IPM and the institutions and services in the area. The initiative is aimed at experimentation, aimed at the replicability and extensibility of the intervention.
According to the UN Convention for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (art.79), "All juveniles shall benefit from provisions that assist them in their return to society, family, educational or work facilities after release."
In this sense, the approach underlying the development of the TOM TOM project considers the relationship between the institution and the surrounding area to be a crucial element in order to ensure the continuity and consistency of legislative implementation with international children’s and adolescent rights standards and principles.
