While the whole country celebrated the Ferragosto holiday on Thursday, some politicians went to prisons to draw attention to the much-criticized living conditions that had led to a rise in suicide rates.
ADVERTISINGEvery year on August 15th, the whole of Italy seems to take a break.
All over the Mediterranean country, shops, bars and restaurants are padlocked and decorated with orange signs saying “Closed for a holiday”. In all districts except those popular with tourists, you will find nothing but the proverbial tumbleweeds.
It is Ferragosto, the holy holiday that Italians like to say recalls Roman times – a festival given by Emperor Augustus to his people, including slaves, as a reward for a season of hard work in the fields.
In today’s Italy, it is nothing less than a human right to celebrate Ferragosto by spending the whole day on the beach or lounging in the shade.
Nevertheless, on August 15, some Italian politicians decided to spend the day in prison instead – of their own accord and in the interest of the human rights of the less fortunate.
In accordance with a tradition dating back to the late politician, activist and journalist Marco Pannella, politicians sacrifice their day off to draw attention to the poor conditions in prisons. Just a few weeks ago, President Sergio Mattarella described these conditions as “unbecoming for a civilized country”.
This year, among those who spent time with the prisoners were liberal MP Matteo Renzi, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, and colleagues of the late Pannella from his Radical Party.
“This is not serious politics”
Renzi returned to his hometown of Florence on Thursday for a day to visit the overcrowded Sollicciano prison, where he said half of the approximately 500 inmates are still being held awaiting the final verdict.
“Facilities like Sollicciano should be demolished and rebuilt from scratch,” he said in a post on X, “to guarantee humane conditions for prisoners.”
As a former prime minister, he has been vocal in his criticism of the government of Giorgia Meloni, which has recently tried to alleviate some of the problems by promising, among other things, to build new prisons, increase prison staff and simplify the early release process.
However, the law passed in early August also criminalised a range of other offences, including the infamous anti-rave measure, which imposes a prison sentence of up to six years for those organising parties – or what the law describes as “entering land or buildings posing a risk to public health or safety”.
Far-right Lega leader Matteo Salvini was one of the strongest supporters of the anti-rave law when it was first passed in late 2022.
You can now also go to prison for squatting, i.e. the “arbitrary occupation of a property intended for the residence of others”, as it is legally called.
As for additional staff, the new measure initially only provides for the hiring of 1,000 new guards, while the prison workers’ union has demanded 24,000, according to the local press. At the same time, prison sentences for certain crimes, mainly financial ones, have been reduced or abolished altogether.
Renzi called the whole thing “nonsense” and said: “A policy that does not address hardship, mental health, addictions and, of course, prisons (themselves) is not a serious policy.”
ADVERTISING“I leave Sollicciano with the images of some children younger than my own that are etched in my heart,” added Renzi. “I know it is not nice that your Ferragosto is disturbed by my reflections. But I think it was fair and appropriate to be in Sollicciano today.”
The legal platform “Justicia insieme” (Justice Together) also criticised the new law: “In view of the increasing climate of tension in prisons … it is legitimate to expect bolder and, above all, immediately implementable solutions.”
Series of suicides shocks the nation
Meanwhile, despair is growing in Italian prisons, leading to a series of suicides across the country.
According to the Italian prison ombudsman, about 50 prisoners have taken their own lives since the beginning of the year until July – 16 more than in the same period in 2023. Prison unions dispute this figure, claiming it is instead 51.
ADVERTISING19 of the suicides, or more than a third, were awaiting trial and 23, or almost half, were foreigners. This is an unusually high number considering that foreigners in Italy make up almost 5 percent of the total population.
The mental health crisis has become so evident that even Mattarella said Italian prisons were becoming “a place where all hope is lost.”
And now the new law could mean “more poor people in prison and fewer managers who don’t have to go to prison anyway,” Francesco Conte, journalist and founder of Mama Termini, an association that helps the homeless in Rome, told Euronews.
“There are two main problems in general: the first is that court proceedings in Italy take so long,” he explained.
ADVERTISING“Secondly, many prisoners do not have a place of residence and therefore cannot be placed under house arrest. Many foreigners therefore end up in prison for minor crimes. Italians who do have a place of residence, on the other hand, are usually placed under house arrest, even those who have committed more serious crimes.”
“Then there is despair because they are not helped by lawyers. This is another big problem, many ‘free’ lawyers (assigned to the accused) do not do their job well. And then of course there is the mistreatment by fellow prisoners and the police,” Conte added.
There are currently around 61,000 prisoners in Italy’s prisons. The official capacity is around 51,000, which corresponds to an overcrowding rate of 130 percent, according to the Ansa news agency.
While the Meloni government is intent on deporting its asylum seekers to Albania, where it is currently completing the construction of two reception centres – another decision that has been strongly criticised by human rights groups – those who have arrived from abroad, including refugees, face a particularly difficult time when faced with the law.
ADVERTISINGMost of them could hardly wait to finally enter the country legally and with equal rights. But it was only behind bars that they found a semblance of equality – a heavy irony that brings disillusionment and gloom and leaves little hope for a glimmer of hope.
“Through my work with Mama Termini, I know two people in prison. One of them got four years in prison for disturbing the peace, and he is a very peaceful, gentle guy. When people like him get these heavy sentences for a small thing, despair sets in quickly,” Conte recalls.
“Prison is not for everyone, although some people don’t like it so much, especially because they are in a bad place anyway. Another friend once said, ‘The only place I have ever worked legally was prison.'”
