NO-MAN’S LAND PRISON. Which opportunity fort the city and the punishment.

The prison is a social emergency in Italy as proved by the sentences of the European Court, by Antigone’s surveys and last by the Minister of Justice: “Prisons are a priority for the government”.The ongoing debate rarely leads to concrete action. If it is strong the reference to the society’s contribution, the proposals are often confined to the internal spaces with a functionalist glance. A vision that reiterates the contradiction between the two missions: custody and reintegration. The functionalist vision guided the construction of the modern prison, determining its marginalization. Even today, when the city reached the penitentiaries, in the surroundings is perceivable a “suspension of urbanity” (Infussi 2020) that reinforces the stigma of these places. This no man’s land, between the city and the prison, is rich in potential if it is observed through the lens of the project. This suspended place could “become the space for a new creativity [employed to] transform the city that has rejected it” (Michelucci 1996). The penitentiary, placing itself in dialogue with the actors that operate in the surrounding area and bringing into play its own resources - spatial and skills - can be an added value to urban regeneration processes that increasingly characterize these parts of the city. From the involvement, the prison could get benefit in terms of space quality and operative support in its service role for the reintegration into society of those who have committed a crime. This is a road not followed in Italy. The proposal aims to open a debate that explores the real possibilities of action. Some clues of possible functionality and criticalities will be proposed through the experience in multidisciplinary research on the prison theme (particularly in Milan), the study of some European experiences, and the critical analysis of national and European policies ongoing.