Here are the 2024 winners of Programma 2121: 7 awards among institutional subjects, large companies and participants in Programma 2121 Awards

On 30 January 2025, the third edition of the “Programma 2121 Awards”  was held at the Lendlease offices in Milan. An initiative promoted by the social inclusion project Programma 2121 to reward public and private entities that have distinguished themselves most in support of the project. The “Programma 2121” model demonstrates how an effective public-private partnership creates social value for the territory, alone a Social Return On Investment value of 1: 13.9.

The “Programma 2121 Awards”, in its third edition, celebrated the ability of local businesses to grow in a socially inclusive way. In this spirit, after the welcome address by Dr. Vincenzo Lo Cascio Director Prison Expert and Head of Criminal Justice UNICRI and Dr. Nadia Boschi Head of Sustainability Italy & Continental Europe of Lendlease, as well as Co-Founder and Co-Director of the project, the awards were presented, in the presence of the Head of DAP Dr. Lina Di Domenico via video link.

The 2024 Programma 2121 Awards were given to:

• Leadership -  important leadership role in supporting the project: Provveditorato Regionale dell'Amministrazione Penitenziaria Lombardia.
• Excellence - continuity and company involvement in the project: Twenty21 S.r.l.
• Social Value Influencer - high number of placements activated: Renco S.p.A.
• The Best Social Story - broad impact created: Coimec Coibentazioni Termoacustiche S.p.A.
• Best Performance - recognition of a key role: Arexpo S.p.A.
• Special Shared Value - special shared resources in addition to ordinary project support: PlusValue S.r.l
• Best Journey - inmate participating in Programma 2121 who most contributed to the dissemination of the project: Ivan della Casa di reclusione di Milano Bollate.

“I congratulate Dr. Nadia Boschi, who represents Lendlease, for conveying to the world of business and the economy how important it is to cooperate with the DAP in the fight against recidivism and crime, a battle that can be won by favouring the social reintegration of people serving sentences and making work a tool for personal fulfilment” said the Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration Lina Di Domenico.

"Prison time is useful if it re-educates, otherwise it is time wasted. For the inmate, who will inevitably return to crime; for our communities, which will continue to be damaged; for the State, because it will have to bear further economic and social costs. That is why any initiative that allows the recovery and reintegration of convicts through tools such as training and work is welcome. And in this sense, Programma 2121 represents excellence among social promotion paths, also for its ability to bring public and private together for a common purpose. I warmly congratulate the participating entities and the winners, and I hope that similar initiatives can also take place in other contexts, throughout the country”. Thus the Undersecretary of State for Justice  Andrea Ostellari, speaking about  the third edition of the “Programme 2121 Awards”.

During the event, Programma 2121 presented the progress of the project. 

To date, the 38 companies involved in the project have activated 132 placement opportunities, of which 55% have been successful. Since the start of the project, 71% of the activated work placements have been extended after the initial 6 months and 56% have been converted into fixed-term or permanent contracts. To date, the project participants have completed 760 hours of safety training, 456 hours of soft skills training and 312 hours of Digi-Train training in addition to the technical company training provided by the companies (e.g. Forklift License).

From 2018 to date, the project has been evaluated by a third party three times. The total social value created is $4,314,000. This value has been characterised by an increasing Social Return On Investment, namely: 1:4.5 (2019-21); 1:4.2-5.6 (2022-23); 1:10.3-13.9 (2024). This indisputably testifies to the value of the labour inclusiveness model that Programma 2121 proposes.