Naples – This morning, the regional secretary of OSAPP Campania, Vincenzo Palmieri, accompanied by a union delegation, met with the new Head of the Department of Penitentiary Administration (DAP), President De Michele, at the Secondigliano prison.
The meeting, held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, was attended by the institute's director, Giulia Russo, the Campania Superintendent, Lucia Castellano, and numerous prison police officers.
At the heart of the discussion were crucial issues for the Campania prison system: from security to healthcare, from staffing shortages—with a deficit of approximately 800 in the region's 14 facilities—to overcrowding, with over 7.000 inmates.
The urgent need for deflationary measures to relieve the pressure on prison facilities has emerged. The head of the DAP has made concrete commitments to respond to the union's demands, with the aim of improving staff working conditions and the state of the penitentiary system, which is described as "comatose."
During the visit, De Michele praised the male and female staff of the Secondigliano institutes and Pozzuoli, highlighting the initiatives promoted by Director Russo to promote treatment activities, considered essential to the rehabilitation of inmates. Security was also on the table, with particular attention to countermeasures to prevent attacks and disorder.
An alarming figure emerged during the meeting regarding the 53 suicides recorded since the beginning of the year in Italian prisons, often linked to inmates with psychiatric illnesses or drug addiction problems. OSAPP Campania welcomed the openness to dialogue, hoping that the commitments made will translate into concrete measures to address the critical issues of the prison system.
This article clearly presents the prison situation in Campania. Meetings between unions and authorities to improve conditions are important, but concrete actions are needed, not just words.