Naples – A head-on clash occurred between the Coordination Committee of the National Conference of Territorial Guarantors of Persons Deprived of Their Liberty and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio.
In a statement, the Guarantors expressed "deep dismay" at the Minister of Justice's statements, which, commenting on the data released by the National Guarantor—48 suicides, 30 deaths from causes yet to be ascertained, 69 from natural causes, and one from an accident—ruled out the existence of a "social alarm" because the numbers were lower than those recorded in 2022.
A position defined as "of unprecedented gravity" by the Guarantors , who recall how the reality of Italian prisons is marked by dilapidated structures, staff shortages, inadequate health services, the absence of ongoing educational projects and constantly increasing overcrowding.
"It's not just about numbers," they emphasize, "but about people. Every death in prison is a failure of the state and evidence of a prison policy that doesn't work."
The Coordination Committee notes that if a similar number of suicides were recorded in other public places of detention—schools, hospitals, nursing homes—"the institutional response would be very different." It recalls the words of President Sergio Mattarella, who on June 30th described the number of suicides behind bars as "dramatic," speaking of a "social emergency" and urging immediate action.
"Those words," the Guarantors denounce, "have had no follow-up and have not translated into concrete measures to guarantee dignified living conditions for prisoners. On the contrary, they contradict Minister Nordio's statements and highlight this government's inertia in the face of what is, in effect, a state massacre. This is unacceptable."
The statement is signed by Samuele Ciambriello, spokesperson for the Conference and Guarantor of Campania, together with the Guarantors of Milan, Rome, Tuscany, the Province of Brindisi, and Parma.
Reading the article, it seems to me there's a lot of confusion surrounding these data. The suicide numbers are worrying, but the minister says there's no cause for alarm. I wonder how they can ignore this serious situation and the conditions in prisons.