10,000 prisoners could be released from Italian prisons to relieve congestion

The Italian government is considering releasing around 10,000 prisoners to help reduce overcrowding in its jails, the Justice Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The government estimates that 10,105 inmates would be eligible for release under alternative sanctions including probation or home arrest.These prisoners must have completed most of their sentences—less than two years left—and must not have committed any serious offenses while in prison during the past year.
However, those convicted of serious crimes such as terrorism, organized crime, rape, human trafficking, and kidnapping will not be eligible.
Italy’s prisons are extremely overcrowded. According to the World Prison Brief database, Italian prisons are operating at about 122% of their capacity. This means they have more inmates than they can properly hold. Only Cyprus, France, and Turkey have worse overcrowding problems in Europe.
The poor conditions in Italy’s prisons have been in the spotlight recently, especially due to rising inmate suicides and complaints about the extreme summer heat in prisons that lack air conditioning.
Although the idea of early release is controversial in Italian politics, the Justice Ministry has made it clear that this process will take time.To find inmates who might be eligible for release, a taskforce has been formed to collaborate with the courts and prisons. By September, the group will report on its progress during weekly meetings.
The goal of the project is to lessen the burden on the criminal justice system without compromising public safety.