Juvenile prisons, Antigone: 'After the Caivano decree attendance more than doubled'

If in the eleven months from October 2022 to September 2023, when the so-called 'Caivano decree' came into force, the number of young people in penal institutions for minors increased by 59, in the following eleven months the increase was 129, i.e. more than double. And, furthermore, this last number is absolutely distorted downwards: there would be far more boys in the Ipm today if it were not for the fact that the decree in question allowed the transfer to the adult system of many boys who, having committed the crime as minors, had come of age. Making the point is the Antigone association, in a dossier on the subject published on Wednesday 2 October.

According to the association, it is the number of admissions registered since the beginning of the year that tells the story of the growth in admissions to penal institutions. As of 15 September 2024, there were 889 admissions. In the same period in 2023, there had been 764 admissions. In just one year, a growth of 16.4 per cent was recorded. A comparison with previous years makes the volume of growth even more evident. After the two-year Covid period, the number of IPM admissions has rapidly risen again, surpassing the pre-pandemic figure. The increase is evident since 2022, registering an unprecedented growth rate in the last year.

Juvenile prisons are grappling with overcrowding. In total, there are 516 places in IPM. Compared to 569 admissions in mid-September, the average overcrowding rate is thus 110%. This is not just a question of a few particularly full institutions, but of a situation that is widespread throughout the country: of the 17 IPMs in the country, as many as 12 house more people than they should. The most overcrowded in percentage terms is the Ipm in Treviso, with 22 boys for 12 regular places (crowding rate 183.3%). It is followed by the Beccaria of Milan, with 54 boys for a capacity of 37 (145.9%) and the IPM of Acireale with 22 boys for a capacity of 17 places (129.41%). In the five institutes that are not currently overcrowded, there is however a very precarious situation, as they are all at the limit of their capacity. In all five it would only take one more admission to exceed the available places.

At the Ipm of Treviso, in order to cope with overcrowding, cots were added and in some cases also mattresses on the floor. Camping beds have also been set up in the three-place cells of the Ferrante Aporti Ipm in Turin, where some sections are still unfit for use. The Milan Ipm is also in a very critical condition, where the structural problems that have characterised the institute for years are added to some recent damages. In the common areas of the building housing the juvenile inmates of the Ipm in Rome, there has been no electricity for three weeks. There is also a lack of refrigerators; to remedy this problem, the boys often fill the sink with water and place food or drinks in it to keep them cold. In the girls' section, an air conditioner was installed in the activity room only a few weeks ago. The common room in the young adults' building is currently unusable after the protests.

In the Antigone report, it is highlighted that, speaking of juvenile crime, in 2023 the number of children reported and/or arrested decreased by 4.15% compared to the same figure in 2022. Distinguishing according to nationality, it can be seen that reports of Italian minors reported and/or arrested decreased by 2.19%, while those of foreign minors decreased by 5.93%. Analysing the long-term trend, from 2010 to 2023, one observes - in the data on arrested and/or investigated minors - an oscillating but generally constant trend, without exponential increases. Substantial conformity in the data is found in the period 2010 - 2012, with an increase between 2013 and 2015, the year of the positive peak (32,566 reports). From 2015, on the other hand, there is a steady decrease until 2020, the year in which the lowest number of reports in the period under consideration is noted (25,088 reports), a decrease that can be attributed to the restrictions linked to the pandemic period. In 2021, there is a slight increase compared to 2020 (28,954 reports), while in 2022 there is a considerable increase in reports (32,522 minors reported). However, as mentioned, there is a downward trend in 2023, with 31,173 reports.