Poggioreale (prison)
Poggioreale (Casa Circondariale di Napoli Poggioreale) is the name of a prison for men in Naples . It is located in the Poggioreale district of the same name , the main entrance is in Via Nuova Poggioreale 177.
History and construction
The construction work was started in 1905 by the Cacciapuoti fu Salvatore company in view of the overcrowding of the then Neapolitan prisons , but was not completed until 1914. The costs approved by the Italian government amounted to 6.5 million lire in the currency of the time. During the First World War (1915–1918), troops were stationed in the misappropriated prison. It was not until 1919 that the interior minister at the time had prisoners transferred to Poggioreale for the first time.
Originally, Poggioreale was built for only 700 prisoners and with single cells measuring just 2 × 2 × 2 meters. However, the latter were later converted into larger cells to accommodate more inmates. Today Poggioreale has a capacity of around 1,300 prisoners, but with around 2,600 inmates (2011) it is chronically and severely overcrowded. During the Second World War and immediately afterwards, Poggioreale was even more hopelessly overcrowded than it is today, with prisoners reaching 7,000, including many political prisoners and black market traders.
Poggioreale covers an area of 67,000 square meters and consists of eight large buildings connected by a large corridor that cuts through them. There are a total of 12 departments: Napoli, Milano, Livorno, Genova, Torino, Venezia ( solitary confinement), Avellino (detention under surveillance), Firenze, Salerno (for “adult young people”), Roma (originally for women), Italia and S. Paolo. The prison hospital is in S. Paolo. The cell buildings have three floors open in the middle, the cells can be reached via balcony corridors. Some sections (the solitary confinement area and where foreign prisoners are held) are in a state of disrepair. In 1998 a 900 meter long connecting tunnel to the newly built Palace of Justice was created. The premises in which the prisoners' workplaces were located were converted into a bunker in 1983 as part of the mafia trial of TV presenter Enzo Tortora , which was later divided into four smaller bunkers.
Prisoners, staff and visitors
Poggioreale is very overcrowded, with around 1,300 places there are around 2,600 prisoners (around a quarter of them are foreigners, around a quarter are drug addicts). The same applies to the individual cells, which often house 15 to 20 people. Common diseases are AIDS , hepatitis and tuberculosis . The prisoners only have access to the concrete walking yards from 10:00 to 11:00 and from 13:00 to 14:00. There is a table and a toilet in each cell, and you can shower twice a week. Visits are allowed once a week, and once a month if they are “well behaved”. There are almost no common rooms, but the possibility of receiving school lessons. It accommodates people who are waiting for their verdict, but meanwhile also - around a third - people who have already been convicted.
According to some sources, there are 700 employed prison guards, some of them permanent, some of them temporary; Furthermore, a total of 400 doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. On visiting days, 1,900 visitors are expected to visit Poggioreale. According to other sources, there are 900 guards, a director and 9 deputy directors, 8 educators, 10 psychologists, 10 doctors and 19 nurses. Each department should have one visiting day per week. There are also organizations - mostly Catholic - that do voluntary work in prison.
Main problems
Poggioreale is one of the most notorious and largest prisons in Italy. The biggest problem Poggioreales is currently - as is the case in all of Italy - the extreme and constant overcrowding of around 100%.
Other problems are the particularly poor conditions in detention for immigrants, some seemingly extreme discipline regulations (hands behind the back when walking, looking down; standing in the same position for long periods of roll call, etc.), suicides among prisoners, violent incidents between guards and inmates and the medical treatment of drug addicts. Another major problem is the almost complete lack of work opportunities (apart from cleaning, etc.), as well as further training opportunities that can be concluded with a certificate.
Famous prisoners
Individual evidence
- ↑ see the Breve storia del Carcere di Poggioreale (“Brief history of the Poggioreale prison”) by the deputy director of the prison: Annalaura Di Fusco; most of the information in this section come from there (English) ( Memento of the original on 17 July 2012 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Carcere di Poggioreale (English) ( Memento of the original from June 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Rapporto Online sulle condizioni di detenzione nelle carceri italiane ( Memento of the original of June 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Rapporto Online sulle condizioni di detenzione nelle carceri italiane ( Memento of the original of June 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Rapporto Online sulle condizioni di detenzione nelle carceri italiane ( Memento of the original of June 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 40 ° 51 ′ 36 " N , 14 ° 16 ′ 44" E