DailyExpertNews
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When Giulia Manca traveled to Pianosa, a former Italian prison island, in 2011, she was looking forward to a relaxing holiday in the sun before returning home.
But more than a dozen years after checking into the beachfront Hotel Milena, which is staffed by supervised convicts on probation, Manca has remained on the island known as the Alcatraz of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Now Manca is the only woman living in the ghost village of Pianosa, part of the Tuscan Archipelago's Maritime Park, and serves as both manager of the hotel and supervisor of the island's rehabilitation program, run by Arnera, a nonprofit organization with the social mission to help vulnerable people. people like prisoners return to society, and the prison authorities of Tuscany.
“I stayed in the hotel for a week and didn't want to leave,” Manca told DailyExpertNews. “It was a unique holiday and the drug rehabilitation project fascinated me, how these prisoners were given a second chance at life.
“I fell in love with Pianosa. The silence, the turquoise clear, heavenly sea, the peaceful starry nights.”
Located between Corsica and the mainland, Pianosa was once called the Devil's Island and is now a blissful retreat loved for its beautiful beaches and lush green vegetation.
One of only two permanent residents on the island, Manca lives and works with a prison guard, as well as ten male convicts, who work as cooks, gardeners, waiters, beach cleaners and dishwashers at Hotel Milena, the only accommodation on the island. .
Surrounded by pine trees, Hotel Milena features frescoed ceilings. It features 11 rooms with wooden furniture and beautiful sea views, as well as a large patio where the prisoners serve drinks to guests in the evenings, a restaurant and a bar.
Manca had only been a guest at the unique year-round hotel for a few days when the then manager told her the establishment was in financial trouble and was at risk of closing.
If this were to happen, the prisoners would have to be transferred back to prison, quickly ending their time at Pianosa.
“I felt I had to do something to help them, otherwise they would have ended up back behind bars, in small cells with no chance of a fresh start and of learning a job that can help them once they are released,” adds Manca who previously worked as a tourist agent.
Manca, who grew up in Tuscany, decided to stay and take over as hotel manager. She says she initially worked for free and used her management skills to secure the hotel's future.
In just a few years, Manca managed to turn things around significantly, and Hotel Milena has become a popular wedding and birthday party venue, where guests flock here, lured in part by the hotel's unconventional staff.
Located close to Gorgona, another Italian prison island, Pianosa was founded in the 18th century to imprison outlaws, bandits and revolutionaries.
The island served as a base for a maximum security prison until 1998, when the prison was closed. The few residents eventually left and Pianosa was left abandoned for years.
Until recently, visitors were not allowed on the island, and those who do can only come as part of an organized boat tour that must be booked through specific tour operators.
To be admitted to Hotel Milena's rehabilitation program, applicants must have already served at least one-third of their sentence in prison and passed a series of rigorous psychological and social evaluation tests.
Over the past twelve years, Manca has treated approximately 100 offenders on probation for a wide range of crimes, including murder.
Although she notes that many of the prisoners were convicted of much more than “stealing daisies,” Manca has always felt comfortable on the island and considers it a kind of safe haven.
She also strongly believes that ex-offenders should be given the opportunity to contribute to society, instead of spending more time behind bars.
“I believe in the power of redemption and that even perpetrators should be given a second chance. They should not languish behind bars but be actively involved in rehabilitation tasks,” she says. “I like to see them come back to life through their work.”
Known as the 'Queen of Pianosa', Manca admits her job has raised eyebrows among her friends and loved ones due to the perceived risks of being the only woman among a group of convicts.
“People kept saying I was crazy to take a job like that,” says Manca, who is also a member of Arnera. “To be the only woman working and living side by side with male perpetrators who have not been charged with minor crimes.
“But I never felt scared or worried. I never thought about it. I feel safer here with them than in the city, with all those crazy people running around, you never know who you'll meet.”
Although it is difficult to lead a group of offenders, Manca says she does her best to set clear boundaries to ensure the rehabilitation program is effective.
She explains that her relationship with her staff is one of mutual respect, and that she has been able to find a balance by keeping her distance and being authoritative yet open in supporting them.
Every week, Manca boards a ferry for a three-hour journey by sea to mainland Tuscany to take care of errands and bureaucratic matters. He leaves at sunrise and returns to Pianosa in the evening.
Manca points out that unlike nearby Gorgona, where convicts must return to their cells after clocking out, those at Pianosa are allowed to roam freely.
The prisoners here receive a monthly salary for their hotel jobs and stay in the former old prison quarters, which have been converted into cozy studios, with a gym, TV, kitchen and private rooms with bathroom.
They are also given mobile phones so they can keep in touch with their families.
Italian prisons are considered among the most inhumane and overcrowded in Europe, with 120 prisoners for every 100 beds, according to a 2020 report from the Council of Europe, while prison suicides have risen by 300% since 1960, with a 75% drop in crime.
Therefore, Pianosa is undoubtedly a much more attractive alternative for those nearing the end of their sentence.
Manca is proud of the success of the “Pianosa model”, explaining that the percentage of those who have spent time on the island returning to crime has fallen to 0.01%.
“In the evening they are free to go to the beach and take a dip,” Manca explains.
“However, they have to leave their accommodation early in the morning and return at a certain time in the evening. They are still under surveillance and there is a guard watching them.
Offenders can serve the remainder of their sentences at the hotel if they are of good behavior, and some have spent five to 10 years here.
But those unwilling to change risk being sent back to prison to serve the remainder of their sentence.
“They have all served at least one-third of their sentences in prison and undergone rigorous psychological and social evaluation tests to determine that they are no longer dangerous and suitable for the drug rehabilitation program. [and] that they really regret what they did,” Manca added.
“Every day they must demonstrate their willingness to work and prepare for a better life. I don't accept briefs.”
Manca likes to keep in touch with those who have left Pianosa to start a new life, using the skills they learned on the island through social media.
She explains that some have become councilors for prisoners in other prisons after working at the hotel.
Manca is immensely proud of her role in the process and says those who initially doubted her decision to stay in Pianosa all those years ago have now come round.
“Even my daughter Yolanda, who as a child was a bit skeptical of my work, has come to appreciate the island and understands the importance of what I do, and now tells me that I am a happy person,” says Manca.