1.5%
of people in prison were working outside under Art. 21 at the end of 2025
Italian Ministry of Justice · data as of 31/12/2025
Navigating the time of a sentence
In prison, time is the first thing that is taken away: it becomes opaque, hard to measure, often impossible to control. A time that seems made only of waiting.
And yet the law provides that, well before the end of a sentence, a person can work outside prison, obtain day release, and access alternative measures and early release. Rights that exist on paper but that, for many people in prison, remain hard to reach.
The three paths, one by one
Working outside, day release and alternative measures: real paths, provided by law, that help you find your way through the time of a sentence.
PATH 1 · ART. 21 O.P.
Working outside
Leaving prison to work is a fundamental step in the social reintegration of people in prison.
PATH 2 · ART. 30-TER O.P.
Day release and licences
They are the main tools of the Italian prison system that allow a person in prison to leave temporarily, in order to support social reintegration and protect family ties.
56 in 100
day release permits granted in 2025 for every 100 people in prison
Italian Ministry of Justice · 2025
PATH 3 · ARTS. 47, 47-TER, 48 O.P.
Alternative measures
Probation, home detention and semi-liberty allow a sentence, or part of it, to be served outside prison.
38.7%
of people who left prison between April 2025 and April 2026 did so through an alternative measure
National Guarantor for the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty · April 2026
Want to know when you could access the measures and benefits provided by law?
The release date calculatorDiscover your other rights
Dignity and living space
The 3 square meters of cell space is a right, which provides for compensation if violated.
Maintaining affective bonds
Staying in touch allows you to keep the bond with the outside world alive.
Early release
Reduce your sentence and accelerate all benefits: a mechanism worth knowing.