Up to 10,000 prisoners could be released to ease overcrowding in Italy
Some 10,105 prisoners, or about 15 per cent of the total population of inmates, are "potentially eligible" for alternative measures to prison, such as house arrest or probation, the ministry said late on Tuesday.
The option would apply to people whose convictions are final and no longer subject to appeal, have less than two years of sentences left to serve, and have no serious disciplinary offences in the past 12 months.
People serving time for serious crimes such as terrorism, organised crime, rape, migrant trafficking and kidnapping would be excluded.
According to the World Prison Brief database, Italy has one of Europe's worst prison overcrowding records, with an occupancy level of around 122 per cent.
Any level above 100 per cent indicates that prisons are occupied above their maximum capacity.
Only Cyprus, France and Turkey have higher scores in Europe, according to the database.
The plight of prisoners has attracted attention in Italy following a rise in suicides and complaints about soaring summer temperatures in detention facilities that are not air-conditioned.
However, the early release of prisoners is a politically sensitive move, and the Justice Ministry indicated that it would not happen overnight.
It said it had set up a task force to liaise with prisons and parole judges to facilitate decisions on individual cases, which will meet weekly and report on its work by September.
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