Draghi in the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere: “There is no justice where there is abuse”

“Dragons, Dragons”. The inmates of the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Caserta) shouted it during the visit of the Prime Minister Mario Draghi and the Minister of Justice Marta Cartabia. Already upon his arrival, the premier was greeted by thunderous applause from the inmates and shouts “out out”. Draghi visited the prison wards where the violence against the detainees subjected to the investigation by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere prosecutor took place, culminating in the execution of 52 precautionary measures against as many members of the prison police. DRAGHI – “Today we are not here to celebrate triumphs or successes but rather to face the consequences of our defeats” said Draghi after the visit to the prison. “Coming to this place today means looking closely to begin to understand. What we have seen in recent days has deeply shaken the consciences of the Italians. And, as I learned a little while ago, it has deeply shaken the conscience of the prison police colleagues. who work with fidelity in this prison “said the Prime Minister.” They are images from over a year ago. The ongoing investigations will establish individual responsibilities. But collective responsibility is of a system that must be reformed. The Government has no intention to forget, “said Draghi. “There can be no justice where there is abuse. And there can be no re-education where there is abuse”, the premier said. “The Italian Constitution – he recalled – establishes in Article 27 the principles that must guide the instrument of detention: ‘The penalties cannot consist of treatments contrary to the sense of humanity and must aim at the re-education of the condemned’. I know that Minister Cartabia will speak on this fundamental principle and will present proposals that I will support with conviction on behalf of the entire government “. The principles established in the Constitution” must be accompanied by the protection of universal rights: the right to psychophysical integrity, education, work and health, just to name a few. These rights must always be protected, especially in a context that sees limitations on freedom “, remarked the Prime Minister, adding that” the prison police, by and large, respect prisoners, their uniform, institutions. Educators ensure the rehabilitation purposes of the sentence. Cultural mediators assist inmates of foreign origin. to. Volunteers allow many of the reintegration activities “. In his speech Draghi stressed that” detention must be recovery, rehabilitation. Prisons must be communities. And we must protect, in particular, the rights of the youngest and of the inmates. Prisons must be the beginning of a new life path. Italy, this government, the community of Santa Maria di Capua Vetere, want to accompany you “. The premier also recalled that” Italy has been condemned twice by the European Court of Human Rights for prison overcrowding. There are thousands more inmates than there are beds available. These numbers are improving, but they are still unacceptable. They hinder the path towards repentance, they hinder reintegration into social life, objectives repeatedly indicated by the Constitutional Court. In such a difficult context, many servants of the State work every day, with a spirit of sacrifice and absolute dedication. “CARTABIA – Minister Cartabia began by dedicating a thought to” those who have suffered unjustifiable violence and humiliation “. of the detainees who took place on 6 April 2020 inside the prison, Cartabia said: “Those acts damage the dignity of the human person that the Constitution places as the true cornerstone of civil coexistence. Prison is a place of punishment, but never a place of violence and humiliation. Today we discover that those words of the Constitution must be regained “.” It is not enough to condemn what has happened, we must remove the root causes so that this does not happen again “he stressed.” We did not come here for an inspection – he later explained – Certainly what happened must find those responsible, but we are here because the very serious events that have taken place require a collective taking charge of all the problems of Italian prisons “. Cartabia highlighted that” the first and most serious of all the problems “of Italian prisons “is overcrowding.” “Overcrowding – he explained – means space where it is difficult even to move, where in summer, as we have experienced even today, it is hard to even breathe. A condition that translates into difficulties in proposing activities that allow the punishment to favor, in the most appropriate way, recovery paths for prisoners. Even in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, the attendance exceeds the maximum number by a hundred: out of a capacity of 809 places, 905 are inmates present. Today this problem must be faced with a strategy that operates on several levels: material structures, regulatory interventions, personnel, training “.” A fundamental plan “to combat overcrowding in prisons, said the Minister of Justice,” is the regulatory one. . The package of amendments in criminal matters, approved by the Council of Ministers last week, also provides for a more rational use of alternative sanctions to short prison sentences “.” It is necessary to correct a vision of criminal law – added Cartabia – focused only on prison, to reserve detention for the most serious facts. The Constitution speaks of ‘penalties’ in the plural. Punishment is not just prison. Without renouncing the just punishment of offenses, it is necessary to proceed along the line, which is already generating many positive experiences, also in terms of prevention of recidivism and resocialization, through forms of punishment other than prison, such as, for example, public utility works . In this, a fundamental role is played by the supervisory judges “.” Everyday life inside the 190 prisons demands immediate and non-postponable responses from us “said Cartabia.” It is necessary to remedy – he added – the serious decrease in personnel that has occurred over the years, immediately providing for new hires and, possibly, increasing the staff of the penitentiary police, without forgetting educators, managers and all staff, including external criminal execution. Shortages of personnel are significant for all categories. The competitions in progress and those already scheduled will not even be sufficient to cover the turnover “. Turning to the Prime Minister, Cartabia asked” on behalf of the entire prison administration attention to this problem, which has reached very serious thresholds : the shortage of personnel overloads the one in service with further responsibilities and subjects him to conditions of stress, if not risky situations “.” President, your presence here is more eloquent than a thousand words – said the Minister of Justice, addressing the Prime Minister Draghi – And he says that what happens in prisons affects everyone. The problems of prisons are problems of the whole government, of the whole country, not just of a sector of the administration of justice, much less of a single penitentiary institution. His presence says that we want to take charge of those problems. “” We are not here to make an inspection – added Cartabia – this is not the purpose of our being here. Of course, it is necessary to fully shed light on what happened within these walls on April 6, 2020: but this task is up to the judicial authority and to the administrative investigations arranged by the Department of Penitentiary Administration, so that nothing remains in the shade and all responsibilities emerge. . We are here because the very serious events that have taken place require a collective taking charge of the problems of our prisons, so that no acts of violence are repeated either against the prisoners, nor against the agents of the penitentiary police or the staff “.” Today is a historic day. , special. Your presence has the meaning, it has the sense of a strong hope for our future “said Elisabetta Palmieri, director of the prison, addressing the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice at the end of their visit to the prison.” We are going through a terrible, horrendous, unprecedented moment – he added – but your closeness and your support represents for us what we hope will be a new beginning for the prison police and the entire prison system “.