Italy Is Thinking About Freeing 10,000 Prisoners to Address Overcrowding
Italy has stated that in order to alleviate prison overcrowding, it may release up to 10,000 inmates.
Up to 10,000 prisoners, or 15% of the nation’s jail population, could be released as part of proposals unveiled by Italy’s Justice Ministry to alleviate long-term overcrowding in detention centers.
The ministry claimed that some 10,105 inmates are “potentially eligible” for non-custodial alternatives including house arrest or probation in a statement released late Tuesday. Only prisoners whose convictions are final, who have fewer than two years remaining on their sentence, and who have behaved well and not experienced any significant disciplinary problems in the previous 12 months will be affected.
The programme will not be available to prisoners guilty of serious crimes like rape, human trafficking, organised crime, terrorism, or kidnapping.
Italy has one of the highest rates of jail overcrowding in Europe, with an occupancy rate of over 122%, according to the World jail Brief database. This puts it in second place to France, Turkey, and Cyprus in terms of overcrowding. An over-100 percent rate indicates that prisons are holding more inmates than they were designed to hold.
A surge in inmate suicides and growing worries about the intense summer heat inside prisons—many of which lack air conditioning—have brought the problem under closer investigation in recent months.
The country’s overburdened jail system would benefit from the decision, but early releases are still a touchy political topic in Italy. The ministry has stated that the releases will not be made immediately in order to allay public and political worries.
A group has been formed to work with parole judges and prison officials. It is anticipated to hold weekly meetings and, by September, provide an update on its progress.
