In recent months, the Italian prison system has been confronted with serious challenges to its proper functioning, caused notably by the steady increase in prison overcrowding and its detrimental effects on living conditions, the provision of regime, violence and relations with staff. The spike in the number of suicides of both prisoners and staff in 2024 is an extreme symptom of the crisis.

In this context, the CPT wished to explore with the Italian authorities the measures envisaged to address such multifaceted challenges. In light of its comparative international approach and expertise, the CPT shared its ideas on how best to address the phenomenon of prison overcrowding and on how to effectively reduce the number of suicides in prisons through a more meticulous screening methodology and the application of a genuine concept of dynamic security in prisons, based on positive relations between prisoners and staff. Other issues discussed related to the CPT's long-standing recommendations concerning the specific segregation and isolation measures of prisoners within the Italian prison system, notably the "41-bis" special regime and the court-ordered solitary confinement of lifers, also known as "isolamento diurno" (under Article 72 of the Criminal Code).

The CPT’s representatives held a constructive exchange on prison reform issues with the Minister of Justice of Italy, Carlo Nordio, and also met with members of civil society active in the area of the CPT’s mandate.

The CPT’s delegation was led by Alan Mitchell (President of the CPT) and Kristina Pardalos, with the support of Hugh Chetwynd, Executive Secretary, and Christian Loda of the CPT Secretariat.