Naples – A system creaking under the weight of unsustainable numbers and crumbling facilities. The latest report by the Regional Prison Ombudsman, Samuele Ciambriello, updated in February 2026, paints a dramatic picture for Italian prisons, and particularly those in Campania.
With a prison population that has reached 63.703 nationwide compared to only 46.074 actual places, the average overcrowding rate jumps to 138,26%.
The Poggioreale case: too many inmates, too few officers
The epicenter of the emergency remains Naples. At the Poggioreale prison, the situation exceeds all warning thresholds: despite a capacity of 1.313, there are 2.194 inmates. This overcrowding rate of 167% is even more dramatic when combined with staffing figures.
In fact, 167 Penitentiary Police officers are missing (a 20% shortage), making the management of security and fundamental rights an almost impossible goal to achieve.
The map of overcrowding in Campania
This is not an isolated case. The crisis is widespread throughout the region, with ten institutions far exceeding the 130% "alert threshold":
Salerno: 162% capacity.
Benevento: 160%.
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi: 156%.
Santa Maria Capua Vetere: 153%.
Secondigliano: 138%.
In this scenario, the only exceptions remain the institute for mothers in Lauro (12%) and the facility in Eboli (76%), an oasis in the desert of a regional context compromised by structural deterioration: in fact, there are over 5.000 regulated places unavailable throughout Italy due to breakdowns and unusability.
Ciambriello's appeal: "We need the bare minimum of dignity."
For the Guarantor, Ciambriello, the time for palliatives is over. The complaint targets Article 27 of the Constitution, which violates the rehabilitative function of prison. "Overcrowding affects the safety and dignity of those who live and work in prison," Ciambriello explains, calling for urgent action.
The proposed solutions are clear: a drastic reduction in pretrial detention, the strengthening of alternative measures, and a special hiring plan for police and health and social care professionals. But the most pressing demand concerns early release: "Moving from 45 to 75 days is the bare minimum in terms of political dignity. We don't need new prisons, but new ones. Without a change of direction, the system will face a permanent crisis."
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The article discusses a serious and significant problem, but it's unclear how it can be solved. The overcrowding figures are truly alarming, and the prison situation is a disgrace for the country, but I don't know if things will ever change.