Prisons overcrowded

Italy wants to deport 2000 Romanian prisoners

A prison in Rome (archive image)(Bild: AFP)

2000 Romanians in Italy's prisons are to be returned to their home country. This is the aim of an agreement signed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu.

The prisoners will then continue to serve their sentences in Romania. People from Romania currently make up 11.6 percent of inmates in Italy's prisons. The two governments now want to cooperate more closely in the fight against crime. For example, cooperation in the search for fugitive criminals and in the fight against illegal immigration is to be intensified.

Overcrowded prisons
There are around 60,000 people in Italian prisons, slightly less than a third of whom (17,000) are foreign nationals. However, there are fewer places available (51,179). Since the overcrowding, suicides in prisons have risen sharply - 15 cases have been counted since the beginning of the year alone.

As many prisoners come from Albania and Morocco, Italy's government is currently planning similar agreements with these countries. This could save an estimated 150 euros per day per deported inmate.