Rome
Italy’s largest phone company has begun using prisoners as operators. Telecom Italia recently installed a call center in Rome’s Rebibbia jail, where inmates have been put to work answering directory-assistance queries. The company said it saw no security issues in giving convicted felons access to people’s phone numbers and addresses. “It helps the detainees get some work experience,” Telecom chairman Marco Tronchetti said. The prisoners welcomed the diversion. “This may seem like a boring, routine job,” said convicted Mafia member Salvatore Striano, “but for people who would otherwise spend the day sitting in our cells and doing nothing, it actually gives a sense to your life.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quiz of The Week: 5 – 11 JulyHave you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
How many people are working illegally in the UK?The Explainer Government vows 'nationwide blitz' on illicit workforce believed to number in the hundreds of thousands
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures A devastating flood, a hungry manatee, and more
