The Italian Ministry of Justice is carrying out a general consultation in view of a big reform to the administration of the country's penal system. Eighteen working groups will telematically discuss over the course of the summer the different topics impacted by the reform (prison life, alternatives to detention, rights of prisoners). The working groups include magistrates, penitentiary administrators, legal experts, academics and NGO representatives. The hope is that by autumn, such a democratic process will lead to a text capable of changing the face of penal administration.