An Algerian and a Syrian detainee escaped overnight from Poggioreale prison in Naples, Italy. Both men were held in the facility’s medium-security unit. Campania regional prisons administrator Lucia Castellano visited the site to coordinate the response.
Prison police and other law enforcement agencies launched a manhunt for the fugitives early this morning. Initial reports indicate the inmates escaped by cutting a hole in the prison structure.
Union officials highlighted systemic challenges following the breakout. Giuseppe Moretti, president of the USPP prison union, and regional secretary Ciro Auricchio stated: “We have long denounced the critical staff shortage at Poggioreale, one of Europe’s most overcrowded prisons. Recent transfers will assign only a few new officers by late September—insufficient to address the 150+ officer deficit.” They further emphasized the growing foreign inmate population, calling for repatriation agreements to allow sentence completion in home countries.
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