“Thank God we are among those who will get out again,” was the relieved greeting of the state parliamentarian Brigitte Foppa as she left the Bolzano prison last Tuesday (13 August) together with the lawyer Fabio Valcanover. The Green MPs carry out an on-site inspection of the prison once or twice a year.
“This year we 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 was not confirmed,” said Foppa after the on-site inspection. “Director Monti told us that work on the facade and roof would 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 entire wing is damp, making some cells completely uninhabitable. The plaster is crumbling, mold can be seen and smelled everywhere. It is an undignified state.”
The entire building is on the verge of collapse. This is also hindering the many efforts to promote human interaction and reintegration that have always been made by prison staff, the Greens said in a press release. For example, the entire wing for prisoners with day release (“semilibertà” – i.e. those forms in which prisoners work outside the prison and return to prison in the evening) is currently inaccessible because a staircase that is in danger of collapsing is endangering this part. Rapid intervention has been promised here as part of the upcoming renovation work.
“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.
