Italy may release up 10,000 people from prison to ease overcrowding

Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison, or about 15% of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced.

Some 10,105 prisoners are “potentially eligible” for alternative measures to prison, such as house arrest or probation, the ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The option would apply to people whose convictions are final and no longer subject to appeal, less than 2 years of sentences left to serve, and no serious disciplinary offences in the past 12 months.

People serving time for serious crimes such as terrorism, organized crime, rape, migrant trafficking and kidnapping would be excluded, the ministry added.

According to the World Prison Brief database, Italy has one of Europe’s worst prison overcrowding records, with an occupancy level of around 122%.

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Any level above 100% indicates that prisons are occupied above their maximum capacity. Only Cyprus, France and Turkey have higher scores in Europe, according to the database.

The plight of prisoners has attracted attention in Italy following a rise in suicides and complaints about soaring summer temperatures in detention facilities that are not air- conditioned.

However, the early release of prisoners is a politically sensitive move, and the Justice Ministry indicated that it would not happen overnight.

It said it had set up a taskforce to liaise with prisons and parole judges to facilitate decisions on individual cases, which will meet weekly and report on its work by September.