Brindisi detainee guarantor denounces poor prison conditions

Valentina Farina, the guarantor for persons deprived of liberty in Brindisi, has issued an open letter addressing inadequate living conditions in local prisons. The complaint highlights the plight of non-smoking detainees who are forced to share small, poorly ventilated cells with smokers, exposing them to continuous secondhand smoke and extreme heat.

Farina noted that while Italian law prohibits smoking in public offices and spaces, these regulations are largely ignored within the prison system. This issue extends beyond detainees to prison staff, who are also exposed to smoke and poor air quality due to structurally inadequate ventilation systems.

Prison unions have also petitioned the Department of Penitentiary Administration (Dap) to establish designated smoking areas to protect non-smokers. Despite existing legislation that allows for fines regarding smoking violations, enforcement within correctional facilities remains largely non-existent.