Italy to add 15,000 prison places to ease overcrowding
Italy will expand prison capacity by 15,000 places and transfer inmates with addiction issues to treatment centers to address severe overcrowding.
Italy currently has 62,986 inmates but capacity for only 47,289, giving it a 133% occupancy rate, one of the worst in Europe, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni unveiled a €758 million plan to add nearly 10,000 places by 2027, plus another 5,000 within five years.
A draft law will also allow inmates with drug or alcohol addictions, who make up nearly a third of the prison population, to serve sentences in rehab centers instead of prison.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said around 10,000 inmates nearing sentence completion may also qualify for house arrest or probation, though early releases will be gradual due to political sensitivities.
Similar news
