“Giorgia Meloni wants more people in prison, while Italy’s correctional facilities are already on the verge of collapse,” highlights Politico in its report. Rome’s new, sweeping security decree appears set to put more people behind bars, but the overcrowded prisons cannot cope, notes writer Elena Giordano.
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According to Politico, on June 9, prison staff in Cagliari, Sardinia discovered that a 56-year-old inmate had committed suicide by hanging in his cell. It was the 33rd suicide in an Italian prison this year. President Sergio Mattarella called on the government this week to respond to the “dramatic” number of suicides behind bars.
Inadequate psychiatric care
Facing overcrowding and inadequate psychiatric care, Italy’s correctional system is under pressure. But instead of offering relief, or even amnesties like her predecessors, Meloni is pushing harder.
In early June, Italy’s right-wing government passed a security decree that extends prison sentences, adds 14 new crimes, and restricts alternatives to imprisonment – sending more people into a system already in crisis. According to Politico, Meloni described the new law as a step toward public safety that would protect society’s most vulnerable. “We act decisively against illegal occupations, accelerate evictions, and protect families, the elderly, and honest property owners,” she said.
But critics see it as political repression with catastrophic consequences. “It’s a dangerous illusion to believe that more punishment and longer prison time lead to greater security,” said Vittorio Manes, professor of criminal law at the University of Bologna.
Sergio Rastrelli, a senator from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, dismissed fears that the new decree would send more people to prison. “It’s not true that new types of crimes increase the prison population. Instead, it sets clear boundaries so those planning to break the law understand they will be held accountable,” he claimed.
Over 62,000 inmates
As of April, Italy’s prisons held over 62,000 people in facilities built for just 51,000, according to a report by Antigone, an NGO monitoring prison conditions. With an overcrowding rate of 119% in 2023 – among the highest in the EU – chronic staff shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and underfunded services, the system is showing cracks, Politico emphasizes.
It should be noted that on June 4, up to 200 inmates at Marassi prison in Genoa staged a riot. They flooded sections of the prison, climbed fences and roofs, and caused damage to multiple cells. Two officers were injured and the unrest was only suppressed after police intervention, on the same day the Senate approved the final version of Meloni’s security decree.
