Menu
The Italian Prison Service employs approximately 36,000 Penitentiary Police officers and over 4,200 civilian staff. It manages 189 adult prisons and 9 juvenile facilities, with around 61,000 adult inmates and over 600 juveniles in custody. Additionally, more than 99,000 individuals are under probation supervision (2025).
The Psychological Support Programme was developed by the Department of Prison Administration of Italy, in collaboration with the Department of Psychology of the Sapienza University of Rome, to provide a structured intervention for penitentiary police officers. The main aim of the project is to prevent the risk of work-related stress, burnout, and psychological distress. Working in prisons exposes officers to a wide range of stressors, including those that affect mental health and professional performance. However, the solutions adopted so far have often been fragmented, lacking a coherent vision and solid scientific support.
From these premises, the ‘Psychological Support for the Penitentiary Police Officers’ Project was created, integrating the practical experience of the Department of Prison Administration with the academic expertise of the Department of Psychology of the Sapienza University of Rome. The project represents an innovation in the field, introducing a new model based on scientific evidence that includes a) an in-depth and systematic assessment of needs, b) a structured intervention dedicated to all Italian penitentiary police officers, and c) a rigorous monitoring of results. The aim of the project is to improve psychological well-being, reduce stress and burnout levels, and enhance the capability of penitentiary police officers to handle emergencies and critical situations.
The project consists of three key phases: context analysis, intervention, and monitoring. The first phase focuses on analysing the environment and assessing the specific challenges faced by penitentiary police officers through focus groups, interviews, and standardised questionnaires. The second phase entails a customised intervention, either individual or group-based, tailored to the identified needs. This phase includes preventive actions such as psychoeducation, interventions during the peri-traumatic phase, and post-traumatic support through techniques like debriefing and defusing. Finally, continuous monitoring and evaluation ensure the assessment of the intervention’s effectiveness using both quantitative and qualitative indicators. By comparing pre- and post-intervention data, improvements across the entire Italian prison system can be accurately measured.
The evaluation of the intervention’s effectiveness demonstrated its value in enhancing psychological wellbeing and motivation, reducing stress levels, improving colleague cohesion, and alleviating feelings of isolation. Overall, the preliminary results suggest a positive impact on both the working conditions and psychological wellbeing of the staff, confirming the importance of structured and ongoing intervention strategies. Additionally, the establishment of a stable psychological support network, with trained contacts within the penitentiary institutions, has enabled the standardisation and potential nationwide replication of the model.
The key feature of this project is its integrated and tailored approach, which is customised to meet the unique needs of each penitentiary institution. Unlike previous interventions, which were often sporadic or focused solely on emergency situations, this model incorporates systematic planning and a robust scientific evaluation process to assess its effectiveness. Collaboration with academic institutions and public bodies ensures a solid methodological foundation and promotes a cultural shift within the penitentiary system, prioritising the psychological wellbeing of the penitentiary police officers.