Prison overcrowding worsening in Italy
November 17th, 2010 - 11:43 am ICT by IANSRome, Nov 17 (IANS/AKI) Italy prisons are severely overcrowded as the growth of the inmate population increases “uninterrupted”, far exceeding the available number of beds, according to the head of the Italian prison guards union.
There are 69,158 detainees and just 44,868 beds, according to Leo Beneduci, secretary general for Osapp, a penitentiary police union. He says prison guards are overworked.
“The data…is more than worrisome,” he said, adding that the government must find a way to increase funding for the Italian penal system.
In an effort to relieve overcrowding, the Italian government in 2006 released around 5,000 prisoners.
Overcrowding is cited as a factor contributing to a recent spate of prison suicides.
It has been estimated Italy’s prison population could reach 100,000 by 2012.
–IANS/AKI
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Tags: aki, beds, detainees, inmate population, italian government, italy rome, leo, penal system, police union, prison guards, prison overcrowding, prison population, prisoners, prisons, secretary general, spate, suicides