Made in Jail store in Ostuni debuts for Christmas
(ANSA) – Ostuni, December 10 – A nonprofit initiative to commercialize bags, scarves and other gifts made by women prisoners in southern Italy opened its doors on Friday and will be inaugurated in the next few days.
Items brandishing the logo Made in Carcere (Made in Jail) went on sale in time for Christmas at a shop in Ostuni in the heel of Italy’s boot.
The pieces are designed and crafted by roughly 20 detainees in the southern Italian prisons of Lecce and Trani for the nonprofit cooperative Officina Creativa, founded in 2007 by Luciana Delle Donne.
Prisoners are regularly hired and paid for their work.
The programme provides them vocational training to help reintegration into society when the women have finished their sentences.
Prices for the coop’s colorful bracelets, t-shirts, iPad protectors, e-cigarette holders and other merchandise range from eight to 25 euros.
The items are also available through the coop’s e-commerce website (http://ecommerce.madeincarcere.it/) and through other retailers, like the gourmet food emporium chain Eataly and selected independent stores.
Proceeds go entirely to financing the project.