Italy Eases Prison Rules for Inmates with Addictions

The Italian Parliament on Wednesday passed a law allowing thousands of prisoners with drug or alcohol addictions to serve their sentences at home while undergoing treatment, in a bid to ease chronic prison overcrowding.

According to the advocacy group Antigone, Italy's prisons are operating at around 140% of capacity, placing the country, alongside France, among the worst performers in the European Union.

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said the law could apply to more than 10,000 prisoners with drug addictions out of a total prison population of about 65,000. A parliamentary document says the measure could also benefit a further 3,700 inmates with alcohol problems.

Antigone has challenged those estimates, noting that eligibility will depend on meeting several conditions. It also said funding allocated under the law would cover fewer than 600 places in rehabilitation facilities.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the measure as a “victory on multiple fronts”, saying it would reduce pressure on prisons while helping people with addictions break free from a life of crime. Opposition party Futuro Nazionale opposed the law, arguing that the government is taking too lenient an approach to crime and migration.

(Reuters, bak)