Italian prison security and reform proposals

The Autonomous Union of Prison Police (SAPPE) has called on Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio to establish specialized facilities to manage highly violent and high-risk inmates. SAPPE General Secretary Donato Capece argued that current practices of transferring aggressive prisoners between overcrowded institutions merely shift the problem rather than resolving security issues.

To address rising assaults and critical incidents, the union proposed utilizing existing legal frameworks to create dedicated national circuits or specialized sections equipped with advanced security, trained staff, and psychiatric assistance. As part of this strategy, SAPPE suggested evaluating the reopening of the Asinara and Pianosa prisons as models for these modern facilities.

In response to these developments, a group of 26 intellectuals and professionals in Sardinia issued an appeal to national and local institutions. They urged a rethinking of the region’s role in the penal system, seeking to move away from the perception of Sardinia as an ‘island-prison’ and toward a system focused on responsibility and civil development.