Italy prison crisis: Overcrowding and rising inmate deaths reported

Italian prisons are facing a severe overcrowding crisis, with approximately 64,436 inmates occupying only 46,318 available spaces. According to the XXII Antigone report, the overcrowding rate has reached 139.7%, with five regions exceeding 150% capacity.

Data from the Prison Guarantor indicates that 184 inmates died in the first eight months of the year, an increase from the 167 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025. While suicides decreased to 49, deaths from natural causes and accidents rose. Notably, 37 deaths were recorded with undetermined causes, the highest figure in the 2021–2026 five-year period.

The Antigone report, titled ‘Tutto chiuso’, also highlights deteriorating living conditions and a decline in the use of alternative detention measures. Structural issues were identified in many facilities, including unusable wards, lack of hot water, and instances where kitchens and bathrooms are located in the same room. Additionally, disciplinary isolation has increased by 171% since 2019, and 46.5% of the inmate population reportedly uses sedatives or hypnotics due to psychological distress.