Italy's prisons near full capacity as 94% of inmates live in overcrowded facilities

A monthly report by Ottorighe shows that 94.3% of Italy’s prison population lives in institutions where the number of detainees exceeds the number of usable places. Out of 189 adult prisons, 160 (84.7%) house more inmates than they have real capacity, with an overall occupancy rate of 139.5% when only usable spots are counted. The report also notes that 4,747 registered places are unavailable, effectively removing the capacity of eight large prisons.

In the Emilia‑Romagna region, the Forlì prison faces a severe staff shortfall: the regional detainee guarantor Roberto Cavalieri reports a 30% deficit of penitentiary police, compared with a regional average shortage of 19%. The government announced a recruitment drive that will add eight new officers and a commissioner to the Forlì facility, while a new prison complex is slated for completion by 2028 to alleviate both staffing and overcrowding problems.