Intense riots erupted Saturday evening and throughout the night at Rome’s Regina Coeli prison. Inmates from the sixth section (totaling 142) initially refused to return to their cells, followed by prisoners from the third section (housing 217) who hurled camping gas canisters at severely outnumbered prison officers and ignited fires.
Order was restored with immense difficulty by 5:00 AM after the acting unit commander and off-duty officers were recalled to reinforce the skeleton crew. Gennarino De Fazio, general secretary of the Uilpa Penitentiary Police union, warned: “Once again, officers patched this up through competence, professionalism, and sacrifice at their own risk. Without decisive interventions, outcomes may not always be so fortunate.”
Emanuela Droghei, Democratic Party regional councilor, linked the violence to systemic collapse, citing Lazio’s 145% average prison overcrowding—exceeding Italy’s 132% rate—with facilities like Regina Coeli at 185% capacity. By late June, regional overcrowding hit 148%, with nine of fourteen prisons exceeding 150%. “These aren’t just numbers: lives are crushed, rights denied, dignity erased,” Droghei stated, noting Lazio’s 6,710 inmates and accelerating growth since January.