Interview

Italian prisons: facing the crisis

The Italian authorities decided at the beginning of March to suspend all visits to prisons to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Protests broke out in several prisons, leaving 12 people dead. These events were followed with great concern by other countries, which were preparing to take similar measures. Antigone Association publishes, on 20 April, an update on the chronology of events. It points to a significant drop in the prison population, with 6,000 fewer inmates.

Prison Insider has asked three questions to Claudio Paterniti Martello about the management of the crisis and the recommendations formulated by Antigone association.

Prison Insider documents the measures taken and lists notable events around the world on a dedicated page.

They failed to address the crucial question: how to lower the prisoner population so as to reduce the risk of infection linked to overcrowding ?

"An unprecedented event in the history of the Italian republic"