Italian prison directors warn detention‑differentiated plan likely to fail

The Ministry of Justice announced a “detention differentiated” scheme, issuing a public notice on 30 March to recruit third‑sector facilities for adult inmates during the summer months in an effort to alleviate chronic prison overcrowding.

The National Coordination of Prison Directors (CNDP) of the FSI USAE criticised the program, arguing that prison directors were excluded from the planning process despite legal requirements. They highlighted that the €7 million annual budget was redirected to the Department for Juvenile and Community Justice (DGMC) and Inter‑district Offices of External Penitentiary Execution, without additional prison police or accounting staff, especially in the north. The CNDP warned that the first application window closed in May and the sites would not be operational before autumn, leaving the summer period—when overcrowding peaks—unaffected. Over the past four years the inmate population has risen by about 8,000. The coordination body suggested alternative uses for the funds, such as maintenance of more than 4,000 unused detention spaces, intramural work programmes and external work schemes, which could provide concrete and immediate relief.