Italy's prisons grapple with severe overcrowding and inmate safety emergencies

Italian prisons are operating at an extreme level of overcrowding. By 30 April 2026, 64,412 detainees were held in facilities designed for 51,265 places (about 46,331 usable), an occupancy rate of roughly 138 %. In Sicily, 23 prisons house more than 7,000 inmates against a capacity of 6,439, with violent incidents against staff reaching 625 and drug‑seizure volumes rising 400 % and smartphone seizures 600 %.

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio has announced a package of measures: the early release of around 5,000 detainees to community, therapeutic or parish settings, the construction of 10,000 new prison beds by 2027 funded with €255 million, and new blocks slated for Gela, Trapani and other Sicilian sites. Critics argue the plan repeats previous promises and that many "ghost" prisons remain unused.

The crisis was underscored on 15 May 2026 at the Bancali prison, where a foreign detainee locked himself in an isolation cell, set fire to his bedding and attempted suicide. Prison police rescued him despite the fire risk. Union officials said the episode highlights chronic staff fatigue, unsafe working conditions and the need for urgent intervention by penitentiary authorities.