The prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere is in a critical situation due to serious staff shortages and overcrowding. The penitentiary police union Con.Si.Pe has raised the alarm: over 100 prison officers are missing, and the number of inmates has exceeded the maximum capacity of the facility. Currently, the prison has about 980 inmates, compared to a capacity of 820 places.
“The disparity between staff rights and workloads is creating extremely stressful working conditions, compromising the safety of all and the integrity of the prison”, reads a note from the union. Vincenzo Santoriello, national councilor and former GOM commander, underlined how the “F. Uccella” prison, located in the province of Caserta, was meant to be a deterrent against local crime, especially that linked to the Casalese Camorra. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the penitentiary was the scene of riots that undermined its authority and the image of the State.
The national secretary of Con.Si.Pe, Francesco De Curtis, declared: "Working in these conditions means not being able to offer an adequate service. It is unthinkable to address the many operational criticalities that often result in serious critical events, putting the order and safety of the penitentiary at risk."
Luigi Castaldo, vice president of Con.Si.Pe, also underlined the urgency of a change: "It is necessary to review the organization of the work of the Penitentiary Police Corps. In all of Italy there is a shortage of over 10.000 penitentiary police officers, and this shortage must be filled in the coming years to compensate for workloads and shifts."
To urge concrete action, the three union leaders have announced a demonstration on September 12 in front of the PRAP of Campania. “We will take to the streets to demand the right to healthy, safe and dignified work for prison officers, who carry out their work every day with courage, patience and humanity, despite the difficulties”, they concluded.
Article published on 17 July 2024 - 15:21
