It is hot in these days in Italy and sometimes fans or air conditioners (for those who have it) are not enough to cool the rooms. Cities give off heat in the evening when in the streets people who have not gone on vacation trying to breathe. Yet there are people who live, with this hot weather, in nine square meters. Six people in nine square meters. Worse than animals on farms crammed with the only purpose of put on weight.
What will fit in nine square meters? Few things, if there are six people and six folding beds. "An intolerable situation" was defined by Alessia Mosca, (PD group leader to the regional council of Lombardy) who visited, yesterday, the San Vittore prison with a group of other politicians, a few days before the visit that a group of european, national and regional politicians will make on August 15th in some prisons.
The situation of prisons in Italy is a disastrous: because the spaces are always those, because the judicial system is such that it does not allow quick judgments, because the last laws passed by the majority of Catholic center favors this overcrowding.
Some people said it was a scandal the pardon, but today the situation is still catastrophic. The prisoners in San Vittore prison are 1400, twice the capacity of regulatory. Showers available of 132 prisoners in a plan are only 4 even now with this hot weather. While checking the men's prison there is only a prison warder for one floor during the day and a prison warder every two floors at night. But these numbers do not concern only San Vittore prison.
So we are not in wonder that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ordered Italy to pay compensation for the detained Bosnian Izet Sulejmanovic for moral damages suffered as a result of cell overcrowding in the prison of Rebibbia.
What will fit in nine square meters? Few things, if there are six people and six folding beds. "An intolerable situation" was defined by Alessia Mosca, (PD group leader to the regional council of Lombardy) who visited, yesterday, the San Vittore prison with a group of other politicians, a few days before the visit that a group of european, national and regional politicians will make on August 15th in some prisons.
The situation of prisons in Italy is a disastrous: because the spaces are always those, because the judicial system is such that it does not allow quick judgments, because the last laws passed by the majority of Catholic center favors this overcrowding.
Some people said it was a scandal the pardon, but today the situation is still catastrophic. The prisoners in San Vittore prison are 1400, twice the capacity of regulatory. Showers available of 132 prisoners in a plan are only 4 even now with this hot weather. While checking the men's prison there is only a prison warder for one floor during the day and a prison warder every two floors at night. But these numbers do not concern only San Vittore prison.
So we are not in wonder that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ordered Italy to pay compensation for the detained Bosnian Izet Sulejmanovic for moral damages suffered as a result of cell overcrowding in the prison of Rebibbia.
The European Court ruled that Sulejmanovic, condemned at two years of imprisonment for aggravated theft, was "victim of inhuman and degrading treatment" because, between November 2002 and April 2003, he shared a cell measuring 16 square meters with other five people, having, therefore, an area of just over 2 square meters, within which he spent more than eighteen hours a day.
The European Court has emphasized the tragic situation of prisons in Italy and now other prisoners with the same living conditions may have recourse. "The construction of new prisons is not the solution. - Said Luigi Nieri assessor budget of the Region Lazio - Government should think to change laws such as those on drugs and immigration. "
The European Court has emphasized the tragic situation of prisons in Italy and now other prisoners with the same living conditions may have recourse. "The construction of new prisons is not the solution. - Said Luigi Nieri assessor budget of the Region Lazio - Government should think to change laws such as those on drugs and immigration. "
According to the latest estimates from the Ministry of Justice the number of detainees in prisons in Italy has reached 63,587. The prisoners, in Italy, are rising, while in the U.S. courts have ordered the state of California to prepare to release more than 40,000 of the 150,000 prisoners in order to solve the problem of overcrowding and the consequent serious health conditions. The state of California will now prepare a plan to reduce overcrowding of 137.5%.
In Italy, however, they release only the famous people. All others are thrown in, while the judiciary (with biblical times and rules that change constantly thanks to politicians) will think, later, to check if they are wrong or not. A famous example on how justice works in our country is ex-Cirielli law which depenalized the crimes of the so-called 'white collar' workers but it was stronger with poor detainees. In Italy nobody cares anymore on ensuring the reintegration into society and into work of detainees, once discounted the penalty, so we make new criminals through the unbearable life they are subject to prison.
The independent union of the Police Prison (Sappe) reported that 11 regions have exceeded the tolerable capacity for prisons and other two would be near the limit. Those walls are deposits of lives who could try the measures of detention alternatives. Gianni Alemanno (major of Rome) said that "we need a reform bill that the government is improving, laboriously trying to find a precise solution."
In Italy, however, they release only the famous people. All others are thrown in, while the judiciary (with biblical times and rules that change constantly thanks to politicians) will think, later, to check if they are wrong or not. A famous example on how justice works in our country is ex-Cirielli law which depenalized the crimes of the so-called 'white collar' workers but it was stronger with poor detainees. In Italy nobody cares anymore on ensuring the reintegration into society and into work of detainees, once discounted the penalty, so we make new criminals through the unbearable life they are subject to prison.
The independent union of the Police Prison (Sappe) reported that 11 regions have exceeded the tolerable capacity for prisons and other two would be near the limit. Those walls are deposits of lives who could try the measures of detention alternatives. Gianni Alemanno (major of Rome) said that "we need a reform bill that the government is improving, laboriously trying to find a precise solution."
But if in the government and in Parliament there are people who have outstanding accounts with justice, it seems difficult to find any solutions. Thus the banking and the financial crimes are being stored while the "normal" people and poor immigrants were crammed into nine square meters.
Marianna Lepore
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