In Salerno, a prisoner sets fire and attacks officers

An inmate already known for violent behavior set fire to his cell in the prison of Salerno three times during the day yesterday. The Autonomous Union of Penitentiary Police (Sappe) reports it.

The man, who according to Sappe would be “dangerous for the management of the prison”, he would have acted with the aim of being transferred to the Mental Articulation Department.

In the afternoon, after setting fire again, he attacked the officers who intervened: he spat at them, threw a chair at an officer, injuring his wrist, threatened an inspector and hit another officer in the back.

With great difficulty, the police managed to take the prisoner to the infirmary, where he destroyed a room containing dangerous drugs and ingested some of them before being taken back to the hospital.

Sappe denounces the unsustainable situation of the Fuorni prison, where the staff is “tired and demotivated by the lack of concrete solutions” to handle violent inmates like this one.

The union is calling for the prisoner to be transferred out of the region and is criticizing the lack of response from the competent authorities.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio met today with the National Association of Magistrates (ANM) to discuss various issues, including the relationship between the judiciary and law enforcement.

Nordio said the meeting will be “profitable, frank and loyal” and reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring the independence of the judiciary.

The episode in Salerno is just the latest in a long series of violence in Italian prisons, which highlights the serious lack of staff and the inadequacy of the facilities. Urgent intervention by the government is needed to guarantee the safety of inmates and officers.