Rome – The detention of a 94-year-old man in Sollicciano prison, one of the most degraded penitentiaries in Italy, has reignited the debate on the situation of elderly prisoners and the prison emergency.
Aldo Di Giacomo, General Secretary of the Union Police Penitenziaria (S.PP.), reports a situation out of control, with Italian prisons increasingly approaching South American standards.
As of December 31, 2024, the Ministry of Justice counted 1.238 inmates over 70 years of age in Italy’s 191 penitentiary institutions. The regions with the highest number of elderly inmates are Lombardy (190), Piedmont (133), Lazio (130), Campania (116), and Sicily (107). Although there is no specific data on those over eighty, Di Giacomo estimates that there are “dozens” of inmates over 80 years of age.
The problem is amplified by the precarious health of many of these elderly people, as highlighted by the tragic suicide of an 83-year-old inmate in Potenza in July 2024. This scenario forces prison staff to take on direct care roles, effectively transforming officers into real “caregivers”.
Di Giacomo emphasizes how the prison emergency has reached “the most alarming historical level ever”. Since the beginning of the year, the highest number of deaths in prison (35) has been recorded compared to the first quarter of previous years.
These numbers, Di Giacomo continues, make “unequivocally, Italian prisons the worst in Europe”, bringing them closer to those in South America, a fact confirmed by the continuous sentences of condemnation for the Italian State by the European Union bodies in matters of justice and the penal system.
The situation is aggravated by chronic overcrowding and a serious shortage of staff. The secretary of the S.PP. highlights how the State has lost control not only over the protection of the lives of prisoners, but also over the safety of staff: there are an average of 30 attacks per week on officers and the discovery of about twenty cell phones per week, in addition to fights, violent protests and escape attempts.
To overcome the serious overcrowding, Di Giacomo proposes concrete solutions, such as the use of house arrest or transfer to care facilities for the older prison population, hoping for a decisive and immediate intervention by the institutions.
Article published on 11 June 2025 - 15:40
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