Fabio Valcanover and Brigitte Foppa (Photo: Green Party)
The plaster is crumbling, the building is dilapidated, there is mold everywhere. Too many prisoners. Too few staff. Green Party member Brigitte Foppa is concerned after a visit to the prison.
“Thank God we are among those who will get out again,” was the relieved greeting of state parliamentarian Brigitte Foppa as she left the Bolzano prison on Tuesday together with lawyer Fabio Valcanover.
Once or twice a year, the Green MPs carry out an on-site inspection of the prison, even unannounced; this is one of the rights of the MPs.
“This year we particularly wanted to get an idea of the condition of the building, after there had been talk in recent weeks that the new prison building would probably not be built. This impression has been confirmed,” said Foppa following the on-site inspection.
“Director Monti told us that work on the facade and roof will begin on August 26th – and, almost more importantly, the renovation of the communal showers. The showers are in a terrible state. The pipes are leaking, the whole wing is damp, making some cells completely uninhabitable. The plaster is crumbling, and mold can be seen and smelled everywhere. It is an undignified state.”
The entire building is on the verge of dilapidation, Foppa continued.
This also hinders the many efforts to promote human interaction and reintegration that prison staff have always made. For example, the entire wing for prisoners with day release (“semilibertà” – that is, those forms in which prisoners work outside the prison and return to the prison in the evening) is currently inaccessible because a staircase is in danger of collapsing. Swift intervention has been promised here as part of the upcoming renovation work, reports Brigitte Foppa.
“If it is really the case that the prison stays where it is, then a general renovation is urgently required. This is of course difficult to carry out, as one can imagine. The Bolzano prison houses many criminals who could be reintegrated – this requires the will, but also enough staff and the space to allow it. Prison is a reality that we do not like to deal with. But it is a reality of our society, whether we like it or not,” said Brigitte Foppa after her visit to the Bolzano prison.
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Some numbers:
- Occupancy on 13.08.2024: 101 men (planned occupancy: 88)
- Of which Italian citizens: 31
- Of these in open prison: 5
- Approximately 60% of prisoners take medication on a continuous basis, 35% receive psychotropic drugs, and 60-70% of crimes are drug-related/addictive.
- Staffing level: 55 prison police officers (planned: 75), administrative staff: 8 (planned: 23)
- Duty cycle: 8 hours (planned: 6)
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