Severe unrest broke out last night at Rome’s Regina Coeli prison. Detainees in the sixth section (totaling 142) initially refused to return to their cells. The disturbance escalated when inmates from the third section (holding 217) attacked the few on-duty prison officers, hurling camping gas canisters they possessed and setting fires.
The situation was eventually brought under control with immense difficulty around 5:00 AM. This required the intervention of the acting unit commander and additional officers called back from rest to reinforce the minimal staff present.
Gennarino De Fazio, General Secretary of the Uilpa prison officers’ union, stated: “Once again, our officers managed to contain the situation through their competence, professionalism, and sacrifice, acting at their own exclusive risk. However, we fear that without decisive intervention, such outcomes cannot always be guaranteed.”
De Fazio and Emanuela Droghei, a Democratic Party regional councilor, linked the riots to a broader systemic failure. Droghei emphasized in a statement: “The riots at Regina Coeli and the tragic rise in suicides are not isolated emergencies but symptoms of a prison system that has completely broken down. Overcrowding in Lazio averages nearly 145%, far exceeding the national average of 132%, with alarming peaks: Regina Coeli at 185%, Civitavecchia at 178%, Rieti at 174%, and Latina at 171%.”
She added: “By the end of June, according to the Penitentiary Administration Department (Dap), the regional rate had further climbed to 148%; nine out of fourteen institutions are operating above 150% capacity. These aren’t just numbers; they represent compressed lives, denied rights, and erased dignity. The Lazio district jail currently holds 6,710 inmates, showing a rapid increase since the start of the year.”