The Italian government has committed itself to the expansion of the capacity of the prisons by up to 15,000 seats and facilitating the transfer of prisoners with addiction to hospitals to solve problems with the overcrowding of institutions to serve a sentence. According to Reuters report, TASR reports this.
Italy reaches one of the worst occupancy of prisons in Europe
The complex situation of prisoners in Italy gained more attention after last year’s record number of suicide and complaints about a sharp rise in summer temperatures in prison facilities that are not air -conditioned.
According to data from the Ministry of Justice, there were 62,986 prisoners in the country on 15 July, with the actual capacity of the prisons being 47,289 persons. As a result, Italy reaches 133 % occupancy-one of the worst in Europe. The World’s Prison Database states that only Cyprus and France are worse.
Meloni: A fair state should adapt the capacity of prisoners to the number of convicts
Last year, the Italian Parliament passed the law to improve the conditions of prison, which, however, achieved only a little effect in practice. “We are convinced that a fair state should adapt the capacity of prisons to the number of people who should serve their sentence,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday. Its government presented a plan to increase capacity worth € 758 million, which would receive almost 10,000 cities by 2027. In addition, she spoke of another initiative without a specific budget, which should ensure the emergence of 5,000 places under five.
Dependent prisoners could serve the penalties in the medical centers
The government has also adopted a bill, but it must still be approved by Parliament, through which a significant part of alcohol -dependent prisoners could leave prison and serve a sentence in medical centers. “They are more people who need treatment rather than criminals who need punishment,” said Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, stressing that these convicts make up almost a third of the prison population.
Nordio also pointed out last week’s announcement that up to approximately 10,000 prisoners approaching the end of the sentence could be entitled to a home prison or conditional sentence. Its ministry set up a working group to speed up the assessment of these cases. However, premature prisoners would be gradual, Reuters added.
