Latest news with #JusticeMinistry
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Italy to add 15,000 prison places to ease overcrowding
ROME, July 23 (Reuters) - Italy's government has pledged to expand prison capacity by up 15,000 places and facilitate the transfer of inmates with addiction problems to treatment centres to tackle a long-standing overcrowding crisis. The plight of prisoners has attracted more attention in Italy following a record number of suicides last year and complaints about soaring summer temperatures in detention facilities that are not air-conditioned. As of July 15, the country had 62,986 inmates, and an effective capacity in prisons of 47,289, justice ministry data showed. This gives Italy an occupancy rate of around 133%, one of the worst in Europe. According to the World Prison Brief database, only Cyprus and France fare worse. Last year the Italian parliament approved a law to improve jail conditions, but it had little practical effect. "We believe that a just state should adjust the capacity of prisons to the number of people that need to serve their sentences," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement late on Tuesday. Her government presented a 758-million-euro ($890 million) plan to expand prison capacity by almost 10,000 by 2027, and a separate initiative for which it gave no budget to create an additional 5,000 places within five years. It also adopted a draft law - which will need parliamentary approval - to allow a sizeable portion of inmates with alcohol or drug addictions to leave prison and serve their sentences in rehab centres. "These are people who need treatment rather than criminals who need punishment," Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said, noting that inmates with addiction issues make up almost a third of the prison population. Nordio also referred to last week's announcement that up to around 10,000 inmates nearing the end of their sentencing could be eligible for house arrest or probation. His ministry has set up a taskforce to speed up the assessment of these cases. The early release of prisoners is set to be gradual, however, partly due to the political sensitivity of the move for a right-wing government such as Meloni's, known for its tough approach on law and order. ($1 = 0.8513 euros)
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon seeks deal to send overcrowded prison inmates to Syria
Lebanon is seeking a treaty that would see most Syrian prisoners serve the rest of their sentence in their homeland in a bid to ease severe overcrowding in Lebanese jails. At Lebanon's largest jail of Roumieh, authorities have also reopened a court – which had last been active during the Covid-19 pandemic – as they seek to speed up the judicial process for suspects from Lebanon, Syria or elsewhere. The idea of a treaty with Syria was formulated by Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who came into the position earlier this year in a new Lebanese government seeking to bring about reform in a country long plagued by institutional malaise. Mr Nassar has also pushed forward with a draft law for enhanced judicial independence in a country where courts have long suffered from political interference. It is part of a wider push for an overhaul of the judicial system that includes its digitisation. A raft of new judges has also been appointed. 'When the Prime Minister went to Syria I addressed this issue with him,' Mr Nassar said, referring to the April visit to Damascus by Nawaf Salam, himself a former judge who headed the International Court of Justice until the start of the year. 'He addressed this to the Syrian authorities regarding the possibility to enter in to a treaty that would allow Syrian detainees in Lebanon to continue their sentence in Syria,' Mr Nassar told The National from his office at the Justice Ministry in Beirut. 'But this would not apply to people who were condemned for terrorism or for killing Lebanese citizens and soldiers – or [other] major crimes. It would apply for the majority, which are people who are sentences for stealing, for fraud etc. Not for killing Lebanese citizens,' added the minister, a Harvard-educated lawyer. Lebanon's prisons are notorious for their overcrowding and cramped conditions, with a population hovering around 8,500. Last year, about 80 per cent of them were yet to have their case go to trial. About 2,000 Syrian detainees are believed to be housed in Lebanese jails. The Lebanese government estimates about 1.5 million Syrian Some of them, however, are held on terrorism charges for fighting against the Lebanese Army. In one case in 2014 in the border town of Arsal in the north-west reaches of Lebanon, fighters from ISIS and Jabhat Al Nusra – which included Syrian nationals – engaged in deadly clashes with the Lebanese Army for about a week. Mr Nassar has not had direct contact with his Syrian counterpart, but insists the conversations are continuing between authorities in Beirut and Damascus. Pressure on Lebanon Last week SyriaTV reported that authorities were seeking to pressure Lebanon through political and diplomatic measures to address the issue of Syrian detainees – although that report was later denied by the Ministry of Information in Damascus, which said it sought to address the issue through official channels. Nonetheless, a high-level Syrian delegation is expected in Beirut in the near future – with the prison situation expected to be on the agenda, even if the visit has not been officially confirmed. The treaty idea was floated by Mr Nassar, and awaits a response and action from the Syrian side. 'I hope that the Syrian authorities will follow up on that because we opened the door and we are willing co-operate with them,' Mr Nassar said. 'I welcome a visit from the Syrian minister of justice to discuss the possibility to sign a treaty in order to have the issue addressed.' Roumieh, an otherwise picturesque town overlooking Beirut, is home to by far the largest prison in Lebanon with about 3,400 detainees despite the buildings being built for 1,200. Raja Abi Nader, the judge that heads the prisons directorate at the Ministry of Justice, said the Roumieh courts were relaunched on June 3, with 500 detainees having their case heard. By reopening the courts in Roumieh, the logistical time for suspects for be transferred has been dramatically cut, authorities say. 'Syrians, like Lebanese detainees, are suffering from the fact that prisons are overcrowded,' Mr Nassar said.
Japan Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Italy may release up 10,000 people from prison to ease overcrowding
Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison, or about 15% of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced. Some 10,105 prisoners are "potentially eligible" for alternative measures to prison, such as house arrest or probation, the ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday. The option would apply to people whose convictions are final and no longer subject to appeal, less than 2 years of sentences left to serve, and no serious disciplinary offenses in the past 12 months. People serving time for serious crimes such as terrorism, organized crime, rape, migrant trafficking and kidnapping would be excluded, the ministry added. According to the World Prison Brief database, Italy has one of Europe's worst prison overcrowding records, with an occupancy level of around 122%. Any level above 100% 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. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Italy may release up 10,000 people from prison to ease overcrowding
ROME, July 16 (Reuters) - Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison, or about 15% of the total population of inmates, to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced. Some 10,105 prisoners are "potentially eligible" for alternative measures to prison, such as house arrest or probation, the ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday. The option would apply to people whose convictions are final and no longer subject to appeal, less than 2 years of sentences left to serve, and no serious disciplinary offences in the past 12 months. People serving time for serious crimes such as terrorism, organized crime, rape, migrant trafficking and kidnapping would be excluded, the ministry added. According to the World Prison Brief database, Italy has one of Europe's worst prison overcrowding records, with an occupancy level of around 122%. Any level above 100% 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 taskforce to liaise with prisons and parole judges to facilitate decisions on individual cases, which will meet weekly and report on its work by September.
The Independent
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Up to 10,000 prisoners could be released to ease overcrowding in Italy
Italy may release up to around 10,000 people from prison to ease overcrowding, the Justice Ministry has announced. 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.
