Naples — The situation denounced by the leaders of the USPP (Union of Penitentiary Police) inside the Poggioreale prison is paradoxical. In Europe's most crowded penitentiary, those charged with maintaining order and security are deprived of even the most basic rights: a hot, full meal.
"Everything is in short supply: oil, bread, fruit, and in some cases, even water," said Giuseppe Moretti and Ciro Auricchio, president and regional secretary of the USPP, respectively, shedding light on a crisis that has been raging for months.
A service in collapse
The unionists' complaint isn't a bolt from the blue, but rather the culmination of a long-simmering malaise within the walls of the "Salvia" prison. Management of the canteen, an essential service for officers facing grueling shifts, has come under scrutiny for chronic deficiencies. According to the USPP, the responsibility lies with a heavy legacy left by the previous administration, guilty of failing to promptly call for a new tender for the canteens in the regional prisons.
The result is a patchy service, lacking the minimum quality and quantity standards required by law.
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The exasperation of the agents
"My colleagues are exasperated," Moretti and Auricchio emphasize. The Penitentiary Police's anger stems from the stark contrast between the harshness of their duties and the "mockery" of inadequate treatment. Officers operate daily in a context of severe overcrowding—with cells holding far more inmates than permitted—and a chronic staff shortage that forces them to endure grueling workloads.
In this scenario, the lunch break isn't a luxury, but a necessary moment of mental and physical recovery, sanctioned by law. Being denied a decent meal is perceived as institutional abandonment.
The search for a solution
The appeal is now directed to the new superintendent, from whom the unions expect concrete answers. "In truth, he is already working to find effective alternatives," admit USPP representatives, signaling an attempt to change course. The strategy involves the immediate termination of the contract with the current contractor, unable to guarantee the service, and the entry of a new company through a tender.
Meanwhile, requests are being made to provide meal vouchers throughout the region, a crucial stopgap measure to restore the dignity of the officers' jobs while they wait for the bureaucracy to take its course and bring bread and water back to the canteen tables.
Comments (1)
Reading the article, it seems like the situation in the prison is truly dire. The officers can't work without a decent meal. It's strange that no solutions have been found to address these problems; it would be important for everyone.