A 37-year-old inmate in Venice jail
has taken his own life, taking the number of suicides in Italy's
prisons so far this year up to 60, the Secretary of the Prison
Police Union (SPP) Aldo Di Giacomo said Monday.
Premier Giorgia Meloni's government recently approved a decree
with measures aimed at easing prison overcrowding amid concern
about the high number of suicides among inmates and warders.
The SPP said five prison officers had also taken their own lives
in the first half of 2024.
As well as overcrowding and low prospects of release, poor
conditions are often cited as a factor in suicides.
The situation, coupled with the intense heatwave Italy's is
currently enduring, have been blamed for disturbances at some
jails.
Andrea Martella, a Senator for the opposition, centre-left
Democratic Party (PD), said he had presented a parliamentary
question for Justice Minister Carlo Nordio calling for a swift
response.
"The heat, the overcrowding, the lack of personnel and the
well-known structural shortcomings are putting inmates and staff
to a huge test," Martella said.
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