Pisa prison riot streamed live on TikTok

Tension has erupted at the Don Bosco prison in Pisa, where a disturbance has been erupting for several hours inside a unit believed to house approximately 56 inmates. According to Gennarino De Fazio, head of the Uil Fp Penitentiary Police, inmates have taken control of the premises, preventing prison officers from entering.

The situation was further complicated, according to the union representative, by oil spills along some internal walkways. The liquid made the floors slippery, creating further difficulties for workers attempting to bring the situation under control. De Fazio also emphasized the highly flammable nature of the oil, which would contribute to increased risk during operations.

The riot filmed with smartphones

Adding to the protest's uniqueness is the presence of smartphones, which, according to the Uil FP, were allegedly being held unlawfully by inmates. Some parts of the unrest were reportedly filmed and later shared on social media, transforming the internal protest into a sort of live broadcast from prison.

It is precisely in this context that De Fazio brings up the issue of cell phones in penitentiaries, linking what is happening in Pisa to the debate on signal shielding systems.

The reference is also to the situation in Naples' Secondigliano prison, where the use of jammers has been identified as one of the tools to combat inmates' illicit use of cell phones. For the union, the fact that the disturbances in Pisa could be documented and shared on social media would contradict the need to ensure communication control within prisons.

The shortage of staff

The Uil Fp therefore emphasizes the structural conditions of the Pisa prison. According to data provided by the union, the facility houses over 300 inmates for 185 available places, with overcrowding estimated at around 64 percent.

On the staffing front, 185 officers have been assigned, compared to a need estimated by the union itself at at least 347. This shortage, according to De Fazio, would make it particularly difficult to manage emergency situations.

"The situation is precarious to say the least under normal conditions, let alone when widespread unrest breaks out," claims the head of the Uil Fp Penitentiary Police.

Reinforcements and possible intervention of special groups

Meanwhile, prison police officers are working to contain the situation. According to the union, reinforcements have been sent from other offices in the region, while some officers have been recalled to duty.

According to De Fazio, the possibility of resorting to the intervention of the special groups of the Penitentiary Police, GIR and GIO, should the level of criticality require it, is not ruled out.
The priority remains to restore safety within the institution and prevent the protest from spreading to other departments.

Giani: "The absolute priority is for the situation to improve."

Eugenio Giani, president of the Tuscany Region, also spoke out on the matter, expressing concern about what is happening in the Don Bosco prison.

"I'm closely following what's happening in the Pisa prison," Giani wrote on social media, emphasizing that at this stage, "the absolute priority is for the situation to resolve without consequences for the inmates, the men and women of the Penitentiary Police, and all the staff present in the facility."

The Tuscan president then expanded his discussion to include the overall conditions of the regional and national prison system, highlighting the problems of overcrowding, structural deficiencies, and living conditions in institutions.

"These are problems that cannot be ignored and must be addressed," Giani said, expressing his hope that "responsibility and dialogue" will prevail and that the situation can quickly return to normal, respecting "safety, legality, and dignity for all."

The issue of overcrowding

The Pisa protest thus brings to the forefront an issue that concerns the entire Italian penitentiary system. De Fazio speaks of approximately 66 inmates compared to just over 46.300 available places, with a surplus of around 20 inmates, and a shortage of prison police personnel, which the union also estimates at approximately 20 compared to operational needs.

These numbers, according to Uil Fp, explain the difficulty institutions face in dealing with emergency situations when protests, riots, or unrest add to the usual problems.

For De Fazio, the response cannot be limited to emergency management, but must involve comprehensive interventions across the system: reducing prison pressure, increasing staffing, and reorganizing the prison system.
The immediate priority in Pisa, however, remains the return to normality within Don Bosco and the safety of inmates, officers, and staff.