Prisons, overcrowding at 131.06% and suicides on the rise

As of 18 August, the average overcrowding figure for prisons in Italy is 131.06% with San Vittore in Milan, which, due to the "current unfit state of several sleeping rooms and in some cases entire detention sections" reaches an overcrowding index of 220.98% and is the institute that holds the highest record out of 190. This was written by the National Prisoners' Guarantor in its analysis of the official Dap data. Today there are 61,465 detainees in Italian prisons, writes the Guarantor, "there are 61,465; the places regularly available amount to 46,898, compared to the regulatory capacity of 51,282" with a gap of -4,360 places. There are 149 institutes (equal to 78%) with a crowding index higher than allowed, which in 50 institutes exceeds 150%..

The in-depth analysis on a regional basis shows "an uneven situation, although almost all regions (17) record a crowding index above the standard and only three fall below the regulatory threshold. In fact, an extreme differentiation is evident: Regions such as Puglia (164.80%), Lombardy (152.24%), Basilicata (149.34%), Veneto (146.46%), Lazio (145,38%) that show a worrying index of overcrowding" in contrast to "Sardinia (whose index is 95.89%), Trentino Alto Adige (93.52%), and Valle d'Aosta whose index is (86.55%)".

There have been 63 suicides in Italian prisons since the beginning of the year, 19 more than in the same period of 2023 when there were 44. This is the figure that emerges from the analysis of the National Guarantor of Prisoners on the basis of Dap data as at 18 August 2024. Added to these are the 1,348 suicide attempts, 110 more than in the same period of 2023 when there were 1,238. In addition to deaths by suicide, the Garante also counts 15 deaths from causes yet to be ascertained.