Scuola InOltre: twenty years of education in cantonal prisons

Context

TL;DR

• The InOltre School turns twenty in 2026
• Active since 2006 in the cantonal prison facilities
• In June, certificates were awarded to around thirty female inmates and nearly 230 male inmates
• «Porte socchiuse» is scheduled for January 21, 2027

Key facts

• Project → InOltre School
• Location → Cantonal prison facilities
• Responsible body → Lugano-Trevano Technical Vocational Centre
• Support → DECS and Department of Institutions
• Recipients → women, men and minors
• Offering → general education, vocational subjects, languages, IT and physical education
• Certifications → bookbinding, IT and cantonal language certificates
• Attendance 2025/2026 → around thirty female detainees and almost 230 male detainees

An anniversary with an educational foundation

In 2026, the InOltre School celebrates twenty years of activity in the Cantonal prison facilities. The project provides learning opportunities and new perspectives even during detention; it is affiliated with the Lugano-Trevano Technical Vocational Centre and receives joint support from the Department of Education, Culture and Sport and the Department of Institutions.

The twentieth anniversary is part of an educational pathway launched in 2006. Since then, the offering has included general education, vocational subjects, languages, IT and physical education, along with practical and creative activities. It is aimed at women and men, including minors. Particular importance is given to certifiable skills: in bookbinding, both attestations and certificates can be obtained, alongside IT certifications and cantonal language certificates.

The latest figure concerns the presentation of attendance certificates for the 2025/2026 school year, which took place last June. The recipients were around thirty female detainees and almost 230 male detainees. Adding the two approximate figures, the indicative total is about 260 people: this is not a figure stated as an official total, but a calculation based on the rounded numbers available. The figure concerns that school year, not the entire twenty-year period.

For Marina Carobbio Guscetti, President of the Council of State and Director of DECS, education must be accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances. Norman Gobbi, Director of DI, noted that serving a sentence “goes beyond custody and security” and added that promoting reintegration also helps prevent recidivism. According to Gobbi, InOltre represents a unique model in Switzerland.

Operational details

Two formats for the twentieth anniversary

The initiatives for the twentieth anniversary will accompany the 2026/2027 school year. As far as can be inferred from the program, their common feature is not a single format: they range from collecting testimonies to educational work and, ultimately, to entering the cantonal prison facilities. Comparing the projects makes it possible to distinguish their intended audiences and expected results, without attributing effects to them that are not indicated.

The program also involves some classes from the CPTs of Lugano-Trevano and Mendrisio, which are tasked with examining restorative justice and reintegration in greater depth. The program will conclude with twenty students entering the cantonal prison facilities to give several lessons prepared during the year. The focus of the work, the number of students involved, and the final stage planned in the facilities are thus made explicit.

The difference between the two projects can be verified in their respective outcomes: a series of podcasts on the one hand, and lessons taught by the students on the other. The first brings together the voices of people who have encountered InOltre in different roles; the second plans a teaching presence in the cantonal prison facilities. Both accompany the 2026/2027 school year, but they are presented as distinct initiatives, with different participants, activities, and final results.

Key points

Theatre and visual arts

The 20th-anniversary programme also includes a theatre course for incarcerated people, which began in September. The work will culminate in the «Half-open doors» event, scheduled for 21 January 2027 from 14 to 16 at the Cantonal Prison Facilities. The theatrical presentation will be intended for institutional and political representatives, members of the teaching staff and the media. This distinguishes it from the other 20th-anniversary events: it is neither a collection of interviews nor a lesson prepared by the students, but rather the presentation of a theatre work.

Alongside the theatre, an exhibition of works produced in the art mediation workshop has been set up at the CPT in Lugano-Trevano. Four murals created by incarcerated people are visible on the first floor of the facility. The exhibition thus adds a visible element to the 20th-anniversary calendar: the artistic production is presented at a CPT facility, while the theatre is located at the Cantonal Prison Facilities. The number of murals and the floor of the facility are specified precisely, with no further data on visitors or the content of the works.

These two elements show that the 20th anniversary is not concentrated in a single event. The theatre course has a presentation scheduled for January 2027, while the exhibition is already set up at the CPT in Lugano-Trevano. Thus, both an activity with a future presentation and an artistic presence already visible are documented. The programme also specifies a time slot and intended recipients from institutions, politics, teaching and the media for the «Half-open doors» event. The distinction between the locations is part of the framework: the theatre event is at the Cantonal Prison Facilities, and the exhibition at the CPT site in Lugano-Trevano. The calendar mentioned remains linked to the 2026/2027 initiatives and the exhibition already set up.

Source: ticinonews.ch