Puglia prisons face overcrowding and poor conditions

Prison facilities in the Puglia region of Italy are facing severe crises, including extreme overcrowding, poor hygienic-sanitary conditions, and dilapidated structures. The Autonomous Prison Police Union (SAPPE) has reported that these issues, alongside critical staff shortages, impact both inmate welfare and the safety of correctional officers. SAPPE has urged mayors in Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto, and Trani to personally inspect these facilities and exercise their legal authority to protect public health and security.

In Foggia specifically, overcrowding has reportedly reached 220%, with conditions described as ‘inhumane and degrading’. The association Nessuno Tocchi Caino, following a visit to the Foggia detention center, has proposed extraordinary measures to alleviate the pressure. Sergio D’Elia, secretary of the association, suggested that amnesty, pardons, or special forms of early release are necessary to reduce the inmate population. D’Elia argued that the current physical environment contradicts the constitutional goal of prisoner rehabilitation and re-education.