A delegation composed of the president of the Nessuno tocchi Caino association, Rita Bernardini, the Regional Guarantor of prisoners Samuele Ciambriello, by the vice president of the Forensic Movement Alessandro Gargiulo, by the lawyers of the Council of the Order of the Bar of Naples North, of the Criminal Chambers of Naples North and Santa Maria Capua Vetere and with the Prison Observatory of the Union of Italian Criminal Chambers visited the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere on January 13, 2024.
The delegation encountered an atmosphere of latent tension among inmates and prison officers. "Since the 2020 beatings, little or nothing has changed," the delegation denounced in a statement released after the visit.
"The air is poisonous, and both the Commander of the Penitentiary Police and the Director were tired, worried, and tense—not about us, on the contrary, but about everything they have to manage, endure, and suffer on a daily basis."
The delegates visited the Thames ward, where 46-year-old Nicola Badascino, who had only a few months left to serve and died a few days ago in prison of a heart attack, was held in the cell.
"He was undergoing dialysis (three times a week), had a high fever (40°) - the note continues - and died in prison without help and without timely assistance from 118, perhaps called too late".
The delegation also denounced the overcrowding of prisoners and the lack of officers and educators, which translates into difficult and dangerous living and working conditions.
"Poggioreale is among the worst prisons in Italy in terms of numbers, but the unease felt in Santa Maria Capua Vetere," Gargiulo confirms, "is truly disturbing, something you don't feel in a Neapolitan prison."
The delegation concluded its statement by stating that "urgent intervention by the institutions is necessary to resolve the problems affecting the Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison, to protect inmates and prison officers."
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The problems encountered by the delegation are the following:
Inmate Overcrowding: The Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison has a capacity of 1.100 places, but currently houses over 1.500 inmates, with 40% overcrowding.
Lack of officers and educators: The prison has a staff of 1.200 officers, but currently there are only 800, a 35% deficit.
The situation is even more serious when it comes to educators, of whom there are only 40 out of a staff of 80.
Difficult and dangerous living and working conditions: Overcrowding and lack of staff make living and working conditions in prison difficult. Inmates are often forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary cells, while prison officers are exposed to the risk of aggression and contagion from infectious diseases.
Death of Nicola Badascino: The death of Nicola Badascino, due to a heart attack, has raised further concerns about the prison situation. The prisoner, who was on dialysis and had a high fever, died without receiving timely medical attention.
The delegation concluded its statement by stating that "urgent intervention by the institutions is necessary to resolve the problems affecting the Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison, to protect inmates and prison officers."
In particular, the delegation asked:
Reducing prison overcrowding by speeding up trials and using alternative measures to detention;
Increase the number of staff and educators to ensure decent living and working conditions;
Adopting measures to prevent suicides and violence in prison.
EDITORIAL TEAM
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