Rome – An Italian prisoner of about 40 years old, suffering from serious mental disorders, took his own life yesterday evening inside the Roman prison of Rebibbia.
The man hanged himself from the cell door, which was left open. After the tragic act, some inmates staged a protest, damaging the facility's infirmary.
The news was reported by Aldo Di Giacomo, general secretary of the Penitentiary Police Union (S.PP.), who underlined that this is the 29th suicide among prisoners in Italy since the beginning of 2025.
A figure that turns the spotlight back on the mental health emergency in prisons, in a context in which – last year – the dramatic record of 90 suicides was reached.
“The increase in suicides among prisoners with mental problems is 40% in the last two years”, reports Di Giacomo. “These are people who should not be in prison, but in specialized social and health facilities.
After the closure of the OPGs and the introduction of the REMS, the system went haywire: there are few places, the transfer times are very long, and there is a lack of clear protocols for collaboration between healthcare and justice”.
The union also reports the chronic shortage of health professionals such as doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists within penitentiary facilities, aggravated by the lack of interpreters and cultural mediators for foreign prisoners.
“The lack of communication is often fatal. We have long been proposing the activation of psychological support desks in every institute, training and work activities, language and inclusion courses”.
“A 'jolt' is needed – concludes Di Giacomo – but not of a symbolic nature. A concrete commitment from the Penitentiary Administration and politics is needed, with tools, resources and targeted intervention plans.
The State, today, is not able to guarantee the safety of either the inmates or the staff, victims of daily attacks. If we do not intervene immediately, this massacre will continue”.
The Rebibbia case is part of an increasingly critical framework, which requires structural interventions that can no longer be postponed.
Article published on 19 April 2025 - 21:06
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The article talks about a very serious topic, but it seems to me that the statistics are impressive and alarming. I do not understand how the situation can be so serious and no one takes concrete measures to improve things in prisons.