Italy may release thousands of people from prison due to overcrowding

The Italian Justice Ministry has announced that the country may release around 10,000 people from prison to ease overcrowding.

Some 10,105 prisoners are “potentially eligible” for alternative punishment like house arrest or probation, the ministry stated on Tuesday. 

To be eligible for this option, inmates must have convictions that are final and no longer subject to appeal, have less than two years of their sentence remaining and have no serious disciplinary violations in the past 12 months.

The ministry also added that individuals serving time for major crimes such as terrorism, organised criminal activity, rape, migrant trafficking and kidnapping would be excluded.

According to the World Prison Brief database, Italy ranks among one of the worst in Europe for prison overcrowding, operating at roughly 122% capacity.

Only Cyprus, France, and  Türkiye have higher scores in Europe, according to the database.

The situation of prisoners in Italy has drawn concern due to a rise in suicides and complaints over high summer temperatures in prisons lacking air conditioning.

However, granting early release to prisoners remains a politically sensitive issue and the Italian Justice Ministry stressed that the process would not be immediate. 

A task force has been established to coordinate with prisons and parole judges on individual cases that will meet weekly. They are expected to deliver a report by September.

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