Penitentiary University Centre

The Penitentiary University Centre of Pisa (PUP) is a key institution for social inclusion, education and personal development for people in detention, active since its official establishment on 14 May 2003. Created through a memorandum of understanding between the University of Pisa, the Regional Superintendent of Prison Administration, the Management of the Pisa Prison and the Region of Tuscany, the Centre operates as an integrated system of university services specifically designed to support the right to education and promote the social inclusion of inmates.

The Centre’s mission is to provide high-quality university education to people in detention, supporting them in their path towards social and professional reintegration. Thanks to strong collaboration with local and regional institutions, the PUP has grown over the years, extending its educational and cultural activities to other prisons in the region, such as those in Livorno, Porto Azzurro, Volterra and Massa.

Through a well-structured organisation, the Centre offers a full range of services, including student orientation, teaching support, administrative assistance and cultural activities. Inmates enrolled as students receive support from dedicated tutors who assist them in key administrative and organisational steps such as enrolment, course registration, preparation of study plans and exam management. Access to teaching materials and library services is also facilitated.

Over time, the Centre has developed a broad and diversified educational offering that includes cultural initiatives, thematic seminars and research activities aimed at enhancing the role of study as a vehicle for personal and collective empowerment. Its cultural programme has particularly focused on seminars and series of meetings designed to raise awareness among both the prison population and the wider community about the importance of education as an instrument of social and personal change.

The Penitentiary University Centre of Pisa is part of a wider regional network, the Polo Universitario Penitenziario della Toscana, established in 2010 through collaboration with the Universities of Florence, Siena and later the University for Foreigners of Siena. This network allows effective coordination of teaching activities across the region, ensuring continuity in education and a shared approach among the universities involved.

Between 2015 and 2025, the Centre has experienced a significant increase in student enrolment, accompanied by steady improvement in the quality and effectiveness of its educational and cultural activities. This growth clearly demonstrates how access to university education has offered many inmates a genuine opportunity for personal and social redemption, contributing significantly to the reduction of university dropout rates.

Another major achievement of the Centre lies in its ability to resume and support interrupted study paths due to inmate transfers to other correctional facilities. This commitment to educational continuity has enabled several students to successfully complete their university studies, thereby actively supporting their reintegration into society.

At the national level, the Penitentiary University Centre of Pisa has played an important role in promoting and strengthening the network of Penitentiary University Centres, taking an active part in the establishment of the National Conference of Rectors’ Delegates for Penitentiary University Centres (CNUPP).

The experience of the Penitentiary University Centre of Pisa is a concrete example of the crucial role a university can play within the prison context, offering not only educational and cultural tools but also real opportunities for personal growth and social redemption. Its constantly evolving and expanding activities today represent a model of best practice in education and social inclusion, successfully combining the right to study with the University’s social responsibility.