Campania's Guarantor: House arrest for drug addicts, more resources and services urgently needed

Naples – The recent approval of the law on therapeutic home detention for drug addicts opens an important chapter in the management of criminal justice, but according to Samuele Ciambriello, Campania's Guarantor for Persons Deprived of Personal Liberty, without adequate resources the measure risks remaining merely on paper.

"Recognizing drug addiction as a disease and not a vice represents a civil step forward, but the law requires concrete support," said Ciambriello. The spokesperson for the National Conference of Territorial Guarantors emphasized that the announcement of 10.000 potential beneficiaries is disproportionate to the €19,4 million allocated, which only covers 800 treatment programs.

"Without an adequate number of psychologists, psychiatrists, and addiction services (SerD) workers in prisons, inmates won't even be able to begin the therapeutic programs necessary to access community care," added Ciambriello. The reform aims to reduce recidivism and protect collective safety, but prison overcrowding and the lack of qualified personnel risk compromising the effectiveness of the new alternative measures.

For this reason, the Campania Ombudsman urges the Government to strengthen services and invest more, emphasizing that treatment for addiction must begin as early as possible and not just upon release from prison.