Suicide in prison in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Ciambriello: "Politics and administration must do more"

A new drama shakes the prison Santa Maria Capua Vetere, where today a 31-year-old prisoner, Toci L., took his own life. The number of suicides recorded in Italian prisons since the beginning of 36 thus rises to 2025, to which are added 78 deaths for causes yet to be ascertained.

In Campania, there are 5 suicides: two in Poggioreale, one in Secondigliano, one in Santa Maria Capua Vetere and one in the Rems of San Nicola Baronia (Avellino).

Samuele Ciambriello, Campania's guarantor of prisoners, denounced the gravity of the situation in a note, pointing the finger at overcrowding and extreme conditions in penitentiary institutions.

“This hot summer makes life in prison impossible,” he said. “Dying in prison is not a destiny, but a responsibility that concerns everyone: civil society, politics, prison administration, the third sector and volunteering.”

Ciambriello criticized the inertia of the institutions: "Politics and the penitentiary administration never question the reasons for these tragedies. They hit us immediately, but then we return to indifference.

We must do more”. The guarantor reiterated the urgency of concrete interventions to address the tragedy of suicides and improve detention conditions, calling for a collective commitment to prevent further losses.