Italy passes law allowing home detention for drug‑dependent inmates

Italy home detention drug‑dependent inmates prison overcrowding Carlo Nordio

The Italian Chamber of Deputies approved a prison‑reform bill with 153 votes in favour, 42 against and 82 abstentions. The measure permits detainees whose primary addiction is drugs or alcohol and who are serving sentences of up to eight years – reduced to four years for serious offences such as terrorism, mafia or human‑trafficking – to serve their penalty under home detention or in accredited therapeutic residential facilities, provided they enrol in a rehabilitation programme. The law is aimed at easing the country’s severe prison overcrowding; Italy’s prisons are operating at about 140 % of capacity with roughly 65 000 inmates in facilities built for about 52 000. Officials estimate that more than 10 000 drug‑dependent prisoners and around 3 700 alcohol‑dependent inmates could benefit, with an initial funding provision for 500 rehabilitation places in 2026 and scope for later expansion. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio called the reform “epochal”, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described it as a “victory on multiple fronts”. Opposition parties criticised the measure as too lenient on crime and warned of implementation challenges.

Entities: Antigona (prisoners' rights group) · Antonio Tajani · Carlo Nordio · Chamber of Deputies (Italy) · Drug‑dependent inmates · Five Star Movement · Futuro Nazionale · Giorgia Meloni · Italian Chamber of Deputies · Italian Ministry of Justice · Italian Parliament · Italy

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed satisfaction with the law's approval. (prime minister's comment)
[● 7 SOURCES] The law allows home detention for drug‑dependent or alcohol‑dependent inmates with sentences up to eight years who join a rehabilitation programme. (all articles describing the eligibility criteria)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Italy's prison population exceeds 64,000 inmates while capacity is about 52,000. (supported by article)
[● 2 SOURCES] The reform is expected to benefit about 10,000 inmates. (government estimate)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Opposition parties, especially the Five Star Movement, criticised the law, warning it could apply to dangerous individuals. (opposition criticism)
[● 8 SOURCES] The Chamber of Deputies approved the law with 153 votes in favour, 42 against and 82 abstentions. (f9c3c181-8926-4ee8-8416-30e52a86eb41, ee74a45b-d265-4f59-ba6d-2472ac6cb669, 46e51953-2c0d-401a-93f8-0470a94756b8, 4a8821)
[● 7 SOURCES] Justice Minister Carlo Nordio described the measure as “epochal”. (all)
[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry of Justice recently inaugurated a model 41‑bis wing in Cagliari and is building new facilities for 10,000 detainees. (dc1266c3-adb3-40e1-85bb-e0afdd760a3a, cd20ca5d-a5a6-4af0-8fea-c5d0a78eec4e, 935daca0-ae99-476d-8f7a-f916aba56db5)
[● 3 SOURCES] The reform follows the resignation of Justice Minister Delmastro and his replacement by Luca Balboni, which Nordio says ensures continuity in the ministry. (dc1266c3-adb3-40e1-85bb-e0afdd760a3a, cd20ca5d-a5a6-4af0-8fea-c5d0a78eec4e, 935daca0-ae99-476d-8f7a-f916aba56db5)
[● 3 SOURCES] The construction of new prison buildings is intended to reduce the overall prison population in Italy. (dc1266c3-adb3-40e1-85bb-e0afdd760a3a, cd20ca5d-a5a6-4af0-8fea-c5d0a78eec4e, 935daca0-ae99-476d-8f7a-f916aba56db5)
[● 7 SOURCES] The law will allow alternative detention for at least 10 000 drug‑dependent offenders. (f9c3c181-8926-4ee8-8416-30e52a86eb41)
[● 3 SOURCES] The measure is described by Nordio as an “epic” step linking certainty of punishment with the rehabilitation of detainees. (dc1266c3-adb3-40e1-85bb-e0afdd760a3a, cd20ca5d-a5a6-4af0-8fea-c5d0a78eec4e, 935daca0-ae99-476d-8f7a-f916aba56db5)