Italy prison system faces crisis of violence and overcrowding

The Italian prison system is facing a multifaceted crisis involving extreme overcrowding, rising violence, and deteriorating living conditions. Prison unions, including CoSP and SAPPE, have called on Justice Minister Carlo Nordio to implement existing legal tools more effectively and consider reopening specialized island facilities like Pianosa and Asinara to manage highly violent inmates who threaten staff and other prisoners.

Human rights advocates and prison ombudsmen in Sicily have raised alarms over the presence of an 18-month-old child living in a cell at the Gazzi prison in Messina. They are urging authorities to provide immediate alternative measures, such as family homes or reduced-security institutes, to ensure the child's dignity.

Compounding these issues is severe summer heat, which has turned many overcrowded cells into “oven cells” without adequate cooling. In Sicily, tensions have escalated into hunger strikes and unrest, including an incident in Cavadonna where inmates reportedly seized keys from an officer, leading to a five-hour emergency requiring reinforcements from multiple surrounding facilities.