The emptiness inside (Swiss Press Text 2012, by Paolo Ascierto) - Swiss Press Award

Reportage da dietro le sbarre

Paolo Ascierto

Locked up 23 hours a day in a room measuring a dozen square meters. What happens when you're arrested and left alone with your thoughts and feelings of guilt? A journey through the world of justice, which has changed with the introduction of the unified Swiss Code of Criminal Procedure. A prisoner accompanied us on this journey, sharing his experience and his first hours without freedom. And the experts—prison directors, prosecutors, and lawyers—confirm: when the door closes, it's a shock for everyone. Even if things seem to change with the lawyer of the first hour.