In sweltering prisons, waiting for prefabricated buildings and new projects

The worst time of day is the afternoon. That’s when the high temperatures are compounded by the heat radiating from concrete walls and iron bars. At such times, a mini-fridge becomes an oasis of cool relief, but more often than not it’s a mirage during weeks of extreme heat warnings, 40 degrees and record levels of overcrowding. So, from Turin to Bologna, from Cagliari to Genoa, from Poggioreale to Rebibbia to Bellizzi (Av), where water is often in short supply – with all that that entails – nearly 65,000 prisoners are enduring another sweltering summer. Amidst alarms, seals and the latest ruling by the European Court of Human Rights concerning the death in 2019 of a man in his cell. A year on from our tour of the prisons, some projects have remained where we left them, whilst others are still awaiting implementation. One sign of hope is the removal of the Plexiglas screens from the windows of the Cosenza prison.

One year after the Government announced a plan to create 10,000 places by 2027, here are the figures from Marco Doglio, the Special Commissioner for Prison Construction. 32 million and 384 places for the new prefabricated buildings: tender processes are ongoing for Frosinone, Reggio Emilia and Voghera, amongst others; financial assessments are under way for L’Aquila, Opera and Agrigento. For new prison blocks, 200 million for 1,580 places across 12 institutions, ranging from Secondigliano to Pavia, Monza, Trapani, Arghillà, Saluzzo, Trani, Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Ferrara, Gela, Rovigo and Perugia. For extraordinary maintenance and extension works, 141 million and 1,510 places (including Milan, Bologna, Brescia-Verziano and Rome Rebibbia). For the oldest institutions, such as Canton Mombello in Brescia – where more than 10 people continue to be crammed into a single room sharing a single bathroom – there had been talk of ‘revitalisation’. For these historic buildings, a scheme is planned to carry out a survey (and then sell them off, as is cyclically envisaged?). For now, in Brescia, with the design phase complete, work is set to begin on extraordinary maintenance to bring cells and facilities up to standard. Where will the prisoners – who currently number more than double the facility’s capacity – be transferred to? The issue has also arisen in Tuscany, following the Florence Court’s order to close a wing of Sollicciano due to its appalling conditions. The phased evacuation of 200 people has had repercussions on other prisons, to the extent that the DAP, in a circular, does not rule out the possibility of mattresses on the floor. A year ago, we reported on the transfer of individual prisoners following appeals over poor conditions: 446 such appeals were lodged in total. A 9-million redevelopment is planned for Sollicciano: in mid-May, the design contract was awarded to the Department of Prison Administration. However, many believe that, although it is not particularly old, it should be closed.

Health

It is not just buildings that are ageing; the prison population is also ageing at an ever-increasing rate: over the past 10 years, the proportion of prisoners aged over 50 has risen from 13.9 per cent in 2005 to almost 30 per cent – 1,348 by the end of 2025 – according to Antigone. Prisoners are becoming increasingly frail, suffering from chronic illnesses and facing far too many barriers. Massimiliano from Rebibbia recounted on the radio the story of a man in his eighties who was unable to use the squat toilet and had to be accompanied downstairs every time. And an 87-year-old arrived at Sollicciano, only to be released shortly afterwards. Regarding prison healthcare, a steering group had been proposed, but the idea died before it could get off the ground. Similarly, the plan to add 300 places to the REMS (Residences for Mental Health) has stalled, given the chronic waiting lists for mental health care facilities. This has resulted in unlawful detentions or risks to personal safety.

Once the semi-residential schemes planned by the Government come into operation, 26,000 prisoners with substance abuse problems could serve their sentences outside prison: the draft bill on home detention has been expanded and budgetary provisions are already in place (an annual fund of 19,436,000 from the Ministry of Health). By contrast, only seven million per year has been allocated to community homes, designed to provide alternative measures for those without a fixed address: 55 applications for inclusion in the register were submitted by the deadline of 31 May, at the close of the first application window. According to the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, there are ‘2–3 thousand people who could access these schemes’. If and when they become operational and are adequately funded, these schemes could reduce the growing proportion of so-called ‘marginalisation imprisonment’.