Sesta Opera San Fedele

Sesta Opera San Fedele (also known in English as Sixth Work San Fedele) is a non-profit prison volunteer association based in Milan, Italy. It was founded in 1923, making it one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the country. The association operates inside several correctional facilities in and around Milan — including San Vittore, Opera, Bollate, the Beccaria juvenile prison, and the special unit of San Paolo Hospital — as well as in Cremona and the surrounding provinces. Its stated mission is to provide moral and material assistance to prisoners and their families, promote their dignity, work to remove the causes of marginalization, and facilitate reintegration into society. From its origins, the association has been linked to the Jesuit community of San Fedele in Milan, and its legal headquarters remain at Piazza San Fedele 4. Over the decades it has contributed to Italian prison reform: in 1975 a proposal by its then-president Gianbattista Legnani became law as articles 17 and 78 of the Italian Penitentiary System. In 1968 it helped create SEAC (Secretariat of Prison Volunteer Organizations and Assistants), and in 2004 it launched a home-visiting volunteer project with UEPE and Caritas Ambrosiana. It received regional legal personality recognition on 22 April 2010 and is registered as a private legal person. In 2012 its magazine Dignitas moved from print to digital, and in 2013 it marked its 90th anniversary with a conference titled 'More Security, More Gratuity, Less Prison.' In 2014 it signed an operational protocol with the Milan Surveillance Court to strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Justice. Today Sesta Opera San Fedele continues to recruit and train prison volunteers, runs fundraising appeals (such as a clothing drive under the slogan 'Let's not arrest dignity'), and publishes reflections on restorative justice and prison life. It remains a small but historically significant civil-society brand in the Italian penal landscape.

Sesta Opera San Fedele traces its origins to Milan in 1923, a period of social tension in post-World War I Italy as the liberal state gave way to fascism. Its first group of volunteers formed that year, making it one of the oldest prison assistance associations in Italy. From the beginning it was connected to the Jesuit community of San Fedele in Milan, and its legal headquarters was established at Piazza San Fedele 4. In 1968 the association helped found SEAC (Segretariato Enti e Assistenti di Volontariato Penitenziario), a secretariat for prison volunteer organizations and assistants. In 1975, a proposal by its president Gianbattista Legnani became law as articles 17 and 78 of the Italian Penitentiary System, a significant contribution to prison reform. In 2004 it launched a home-visiting volunteer project in collaboration with UEPE (Ufficio Esecuzione Penale Esterna) and Caritas Ambrosiana. On 22 April 2010 it obtained recognition of regional legal personality and was entered in the Regional Register of Private Legal Persons. In 2012 its magazine Dignitas, focused on prison and justice issues, transitioned from print to digital. In 2013, for its 90th anniversary, it organized a conference titled 'More Security, More Gratuity, Less Prison.' In 2014 it signed an operational protocol with the Milan Surveillance Court and the Ministry of Justice to strengthen collaboration. The association continues to operate in Milan and Cremona, running training courses for prison volunteers (such as the 2026 course with Caritas Ambrosiana and SEAC), fundraising appeals, and mediation services. It remains a small but historically rooted civil-society organization in the Italian penal system.

• 2014

  Signs operational protocol with the Milan Surveillance Court and Ministry of Justice.

• 2013

  Organizes conference 'More Security, More Gratuity, Less Prison' for its 90th anniversary.

• 2012

  Magazine Dignitas moves from print to digital.

• 2010

  Obtains regional legal personality recognition on 22 April and is entered in the Regional Register of Private Legal Persons.

• 2004

  Launches home-visiting volunteer project with UEPE and Caritas Ambrosiana.

• 1975

  Proposal by president Gianbattista Legnani becomes law as articles 17 and 78 of the Penitentiary System.

• 1968

  Helps found SEAC (Segretariato Enti e Assistenti di Volontariato Penitenziario).

• 1923

  First group of volunteers forms in Milan, founding Sesta Opera San Fedele.

A historic, faith-linked non-profit prison volunteer association in Milan, focused on dignity, reintegration, and penal reform.

• Prison volunteer training course

  Annual training for prison volunteers, e.g., 2026 course with Caritas Ambrosiana and SEAC.

• Domiciliary volunteering project

  Home-visiting support for prisoners, launched in 2004 with UEPE and Caritas Ambrosiana.

• Dignitas magazine

  Publication on prison and justice issues, digital since 2012.

• Restorative justice mediation

  Mediation service to rebuild coexistence and transform conflict, inside and outside prison.

1. 1Home - Sestaoperasestaopera.it
2. 2Chi siamo - Sestaoperasestaopera.it
3. 3Sixth Work San Fedele - Wikidatawikidata.org