The impact of the heatwave on prisons: from Rebibbia to San Vittore and Sassari, here is a snapshot of the emergency

During the summer months, the association points out, life in prison becomes an experience that borders on mere survival. Over 60 per cent of the prison population is subject to the ‘closed custody’ regime (a figure that has risen over the years following the negative setbacks regarding the ‘open cell’ system and ‘dynamic surveillance’), spending most of the day in overcrowded cells where temperatures exceed 40 degrees. In some prisons, moreover, the cell windows are screened off, which also prevents air from circulating. The chronic shortage of fans – which hundreds of destitute prisoners are unable to purchase – turns the cells into veritable ovens. Added to this is the DAP directive of 23 April 2026, which banned the presence of fridges inside cells and corridors, restricting their use to communal areas. This prevents prisoners from having independent access to cold water, particularly at night, forcing them to rely on staff assistance.

Added to these conditions are appalling hygiene and sanitation standards: bedbug infestations in Venice, Monza and Pisa, and even serious water shortages, as reported at the Milan Opera prison, where the water supply was cut off due to a fault, forcing inmates to rely on bottled water provided by the Red Cross.

In the summer, moreover, with schools closed and many voluntary activities also scaled back, prisoners find themselves increasingly isolated, caught up in a general sense of apathy which also contributes to suicides.

In this situation, tragedy is just around the corner. In the first seven months of 2026, at least 38 people took their own lives in prison. The youngest victim was a girl aged just 21 in Trento; the oldest was a 73-year-old man in Padua. Fifty per cent of suicides involved people of foreign origin, highlighting their greater vulnerability. Self-harm is also rising sharply, with an average of 26.5 acts of self-harm per 100 prisoners. In 2026, 9.3 per cent of prisoners had serious psychiatric diagnoses, with a chronic shortage of consultation hours provided by psychiatrists and psychologists. Given these figures, 20.5 per cent regularly take mood stabilisers, antipsychotics and antidepressants, whilst 46 per cent take sedatives or hypnotics.