Inmate violence escalates in Italian prisons, prompting calls for more guard staff

A series of violent incidents have rocked Italian prisons in June 2026. In Cremona’s Ca' del Ferro prison, inmates set a fire that damaged surveillance cameras and windows, forcing staff to intervene and several guards required hospital treatment for smoke inhalation. The prison police union Sappe described the episode as “gravissimo” and demanded immediate increases in guard numbers and better safety equipment.

At the Casa Circondariale di Cassino, convicted mass‑murderer Andrea Cavallari, serving a 11‑year‑10‑month sentence for the 2018 Corinaldo killings, ignited a stool, spread smoke, and then assaulted two newly‑hired prison police officers, injuring both. The assault was halted only after another inmate intervened. The union highlighted the severe physical and psychological trauma suffered by the officers and called for stricter regimes for violent detainees.

In Messina’s correctional facility, a detainee from Syracuse violently shoved a guard’s hand against a cell gate and attempted to strike the officer with a wooden stick, resulting in hand injuries that required emergency care. The national prison police union Sinappe used the incident to demand the relocation of high‑risk inmate sections and a substantial boost in guard staffing.

All three events underscore chronic safety challenges in Italy’s penitentiary system and have intensified calls for structural reforms and increased personnel to protect prison staff.