Italy's so-called 'prison decree' causes dividing opinions

According to local NGOs, in 56 out of 190 Italian prison facilities the overcrowding rate is above 150%.

Transcript

00:00The so-called prison decree approved this week by the Italian parliament has triggered

00:07a heated political debate.

00:10An overall improvement of detention conditions, an increase in the number of prison staff

00:14and a much simplified procedure to access early release are some of the provisions of

00:19the new measure.

00:21Backers of the decree say it's the first time in years that the government has addressed

00:25the issue.

00:26It's a serious problem, the overcrowding and the suicides in prisons, which is being

00:33addressed for the first time after about 15 years of immobility and absolute silence

00:40by the governments of the left.

00:43Two requirements, that of guaranteeing and that of security, which coincide from our

00:49point of view absolutely well with this decree.

00:54But according to the NGO Antigone, which carries out independent on-site monitoring activity

01:00with an overcrowding rate currently standing at 130% and 65 suicides so far this year,

01:08this latest measure won't be enough to solve the problem.

01:23According to the

01:52Council of Europe's Annual Statistics on Prison Populations for 2023, Italy is among

01:58a few countries that suffer from severe overcrowding levels.

02:22It will take a while before some of the provisions become effective.

02:34Meanwhile, in the summer months, imprisonment conditions worsen due to increased temperatures.

02:39Giorgio Arlandi for Euronews in Rome.