in these weeks, riots in different italian prisons from North to South (Poggioreale,Voghera, Palermo, Rieti, L'Aquila, Velletri) represent the litmus test of an outdated system, which is at a tipping point.
Infact, in Italy there are actually 61.000 prisoners, but prison can hold only 50.000 people; moreover, detention is imposed as punishment in most cases and alternative measures are almost ignored. This situation isn't a consequence of an increase in crime, but is the result of different factors: political choices, farraginous penal system and prison as a class solution. For what concerns political choices in criminal law, in the last 30 years they have been addressing to social marginalization (immigrants, drug addicts) and have contributed to spread social alarm. The majority of people in jail are italian and immigrant drug addicts, drug dealers and muggers: generally, they live in the suburbs and come from the lower and middle classes.
in these weeks, riots in different italian prisons from North to South (Poggioreale,Voghera, Palermo, Rieti, L'Aquila, Velletri) represent the litmus test of an outdated system, which is at a tipping point. Infact, in Italy there are actually 61.000 prisoners, but prison can hold only 50.000 people; moreover, detention is imposed as punishment in most cases and alternative measures are almost ignored. This situation isn't a consequence of an increase in crime, but is the result of different factors: political choices, farraginous penal system and prison as a class solution. For what concerns political choices in criminal law, in the last 30 years they have been addressing to social marginalization (immigrants, drug addicts) and have contributed to spread social alarm. The majority of people in jail are italian and immigrant drug addicts, drug dealers and muggers: generally, they live in the suburbs and come from the lower and middle classes. This consistent part of population is victim of the lack of welfare State's action: for this reason, they choose crime as a ploy to survive. Instead of increasing social wellness improving schools and universities, creating jobs or helping weakers sections, Italian Governement's solution is prison. The constant extention of behaviours which become relevant for criminal law demonstrates the will of prosecute a specific social group. Nowadays in prison social contradictions are arising, and the riots of this period of time are a reflection of this situation. Sante Notarnicola remember us that better life conditions in prison are the result of prison riots which broke out in the last '70-'80: thanks to the meeting between political prisoners and the common ones, common prisoners too begun to fight for this purpose. Punishing and imprisoning only social marginalization serve specific functions: fueling social alarm, justifying prison's existence and running the factory. Infact, prison offers cheap labour. The last penitentiary reforms has reduced protections and rights in this field. For the sake of argument we can mention “piantoni” or the “2121 Program”: in the first case, a prisoner is under contract for only one hour to assist another prisoner who is invalid, even though in everyday life the “piantone” takes care of the invalid prisoner all the day; in the second case, “2121 Program” represents a contract between the Penitentiary Administration, the factory “Plus Value” and the multinational Lendlease: the salary of prisoners who work for this partners will be paid to Penitentiary Administration to pay prisoners' debt to society. It's similar to slave labours. Prison's purpose is nowadays similar to the one it had before and after the industrial devolution: controlling and exploiting the marginalization which has been producted by capitalism. From "IL SALTO" 1/7/2019-