IPM Nisida’s pedagogical model transformation: educational and cultural mediation between challenges and opportunities

The research explores the critical issues in managing unaccompanied foreign minors (UFM) in Italian juvenile detention centers, highlighting the shortcomings of the current institutional pedagogical model and the harmful impact of repressive practices that often overshadow educational pathways. Starting from an analysis of contextual dynamics that have disrupted the perception of the penitentiary setting as a closed system, and through a semi-structured interview with a key informant, the study proposes the need to formalize the role of cultural mediation and education within the intervention team as a stable support for the minors’ accompaniment. This role is crucial for the continuous implementation of organizational models and serves as an effective antidote to the risk of dehumanization within the penitentiary environment.