LEGAL COUNSELLING DESK FOR MIGRANT INMATES - SAN VITTORE PRISON
ONGOING PROJECT
Since February 2023, the Legal Clinic of Criminal Justice, building on its experience at the Bollate prison, has set up a permanent legal information desk at the San Vittore prison. On a weekly basis, the Clinic visits the prison and carries out interviews with migrant inmates who request it, in order to provide them the necessary legal guidance regarding their ongoing criminal proceedings or the execution of their conviction. Furthermore, the Clinic students provide guidance on the implications of their crimes and convictions on their legal status in Italy at the end of the criminal sanction execution, encompassing aspects such as residence permits, expulsion measures, asylum status, etc..
Students enrolled in the Linguistic and Cultural Mediation degree programme at the University of Milan are also involved in this activity. Collaborating with Law students, tutors and attorneys, they assist in conveying legal information to the prisoners in an accessible manner.
Throughout its activity, the Clinic works in close collaboration with the prison staff and, occasionally, with the prisoners’ lawyers, in case it is necessary to report specific situations.
During its first year of operation, the Clinic met with approximately 135 inmates, addressing the complexity of crimmigration and migration law matters and trying to untangle the intricate legal issues faced by migrant prisoners.