On Sunday afternoon, two brothers, aged 16 and 17, scaled the walls of the Beccaria Juvenile Detention Center in Milan and escaped. The younger of the two had previously escaped three months ago, only to be recaptured hours later on a regional train. Accompanying them was a 17-year-old Italian who was apprehended by officers before he could scale the prison wall. However, during the search for the initial escapees, the 17-year-old managed to escape successfully later that evening. The police and Carabinieri are currently engaged in a manhunt for all three individuals. The news of the escapes was revealed by prison guards’ unions, which have criticized the Beccaria facility as being “out of control.”
The Beccaria facility has faced several escapes over the past year—six since January—as well as multiple protests from inmates. On August 31, some detainees set fire to mattresses in their cells and attempted to flee through an open door. Four of them were recaptured after a brief escape, with medical personnel treating eight injured inmates and firefighters extinguishing the blaze.
Tensions at Beccaria have escalated since an investigation into abuse and mistreatment led to the arrest of thirteen prison guards in April, twelve of whom were still on duty at the time. Eight other guards who had previously worked at Beccaria were suspended, and four are still under investigation. The Milan prosecutor’s office is conducting the investigation, which was initiated based on complaints from detainees’ mothers and prison psychologists. The allegations include physical and psychological abuse of at least 12 minor detainees, with mistreatment reportedly occurring in areas without surveillance, such as isolation cells and the “chief guard’s” office.
Footage of the alleged abuse was released by Ansa, showing a group of guards attacking an inmate. The video depicts the detainee being pushed against a wall, struck repeatedly, and kicked while on the ground. The inmate was then taken to the infirmary and later to his cell with an injured arm, only to be further abused in an office for approximately eight minutes.
The conditions at Beccaria are also exacerbated by overcrowding. As of August 15, the facility, which houses only male detainees, held 60 individuals despite having a capacity for 70. In April, when the abusive guards were arrested, the number of detainees was 81. The majority of these detainees are awaiting trial and are thus in pre-trial detention. The overcrowding issue has been worsened by the recent Caivano decree, which changed the rules for pre-trial detention and increased penalties for various juvenile offenses, leading to more minors being incarcerated.
According to a report by Antigone, an organization advocating for prison rights, the number of detainees in Italian juvenile facilities reached around 500 at the start of 2024, a figure not seen in over a decade. The report attributes this increase to the effects of the Caivano decree. Don Claudio Burgio, chaplain at Beccaria, argues that incarceration is not the solution for minors. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, he emphasized the need for adults within these facilities who can listen and provide balanced guidance, suggesting that finding the right balance between containment and trust is crucial for managing the aggressive behavior and escape attempts of adolescents.
