Foreign inmate gangs have sparked fresh chaos inside an overcrowded Italian prison after a violent brawl at Frosinone left five officers needing emergency hospital treatment.
The confrontation reportedly broke out between two separate groups of foreign prisoners, as verbal abuse and threats quickly escalated into a violent clash involving clubs and improvised weapons.
Prison officers moved in to restore order, but the situation rapidly deteriorated as inmates began using objects inside the facility as weapons.
Five officers were eventually taken to the emergency room at Frosinone hospital with injuries including bruises, cuts, a fractured little finger, and a bruised jaw. They were later discharged with prognoses of around 10 days.
The violence was reported by both the Autonomous Penitentiary Police Union and the Penitentiary Police Union, which warned that the prison is once again facing serious disorder linked to overcrowding, staff shortages, and the presence of violent inmates.
As reported by Corriere della Sera, Angelo Vittiglio, regional deputy secretary of the Penitentiary Police Union, described the incident as “yet another attack” and called for the most troublesome prisoners to be moved to other facilities immediately.
“Immediate transfer is necessary to avoid compromising the peace, order, and security in places where security is increasingly lacking,” Vittiglio said.
The Autonomous Penitentiary Police Union said the episode confirmed the “highly tense situation” already reported after a recent inspection of the facility.
According to the union, inmates threw stools, gas canisters, and coffee machines during the brawl, while others got hold of sharp objects as the violence intensified.
“Only thanks to the professionalism, sense of duty, and spirit of sacrifice of the Penitentiary Police staff was it possible to prevent the situation from further deteriorating,” the union said, warning that the consequences could have been even more serious.
The union also said repeated calls to transfer the most violent inmates had been ignored.
“We have repeatedly urged the transfer of the most violent inmates to other facilities, even outside the district, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears. Meanwhile, the most troublemakers continue to compromise the security and stability of the facility,” it added.
The Frosinone brawl comes amid wider concerns over Italy’s prison system, with overcrowding and staff shortages repeatedly blamed for unrest, assaults, and deteriorating conditions inside detention facilities.
Officers’ unions have warned that prisons are becoming increasingly difficult to control when too many inmates are held in stretched facilities without enough staff to maintain order.
Italy has seen repeated prison unrest in recent years, including riots linked to overcrowding and pressure on detention centers, with officers and other staff members left exposed during the violence, and the crisis has already forced the Italian government to consider politically sensitive measures.
Official figures highlighted by Italian newspaper La Verità in February showed that more than 144,000 convicted offenders in Italy are currently serving sentences outside prison through alternative or community-based measures due to overcrowding.
Of those, 30,279 are foreign citizens, accounting for 21 percent of the total.
Among foreign nationals under supervision, the largest share comes from African countries, accounting for 37 percent of foreign offenders in alternative measures.
By nationality, the largest groups are Moroccans, Albanians, and Romanians, with 4,871, 4,147, and 3,890 convicted offenders, respectively, serving sentences in the community. They are followed by Tunisians, with 1,824, and Nigerians, with 1,464.
In July last year, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government weighed the early release of more than 10,000 prisoners in response to severe overcrowding, despite previously opposing so-called “prison-emptying” policies.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said the proposal would merely apply an existing legal provision allowing inmates with less than 24 months left to serve, and who were convicted of non-violent offenses, to complete their sentences outside prison.
Italy also saw a wave of prison riots in August 2024, with overcrowding blamed for violence at detention centers in Turin, Bari, and Rome.
In one incident, prisoners took a nurse hostage, while prison security staff were seriously injured.
