ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Amnesty and pardon” are not the way to solve prison problems, “they are plausible as a sign of strength and magnanimity, but if they are interpreted as emergency prison-emptying measures they are manifestations of weakness,” sending a signal of “impunity” and an invitation “to the commission of new crimes.” Thus, in an interview with Libero, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio.
For the watchdog, “the right balance is found in the humanization of punishment, with work, sports and even cultural activities within a structure that is not necessarily made of bars.” Moreover, “we all agree that an unconditional pardon would be unnecessary and harmful. After all, it is Catholic doctrine itself that teaches us that forgiveness is not free; it presupposes confession, penance and the firm purpose of redemption. In secular terms, these concepts are expressed, as I said, by a humanization of punishment and differentiated detention.” As for the phenomenon of suicides, “it is a collective burden of pain, and when it happens in prison we feel it even more burdensome. However, it is not related to overcrowding. Overcrowding is equally serious problem, but it is certainly not of today.”
On what plan the government has in mind, as an alternative to amnesty and pardon, to decrease prison overcrowding, Nordio explains, “There are several directions we are heading in. Meanwhile, of the 16,000 inmates in pre-trial detention or serving prison sentences, thousands should not be there. Almost all of them are foreigners who have arrived in our country illegally. Many are eligible for house arrest, but they do not have a domicile and therefore end up in prison. The idea we are working on is to create facilities, condominiums, where these foreigners without domicile can serve their arrests, with periodic, not continuous, monitoring by law enforcement. Another direction,” he explains, “is agreements with countries of origin. Third direction: we need to limit pre-trial detention, emphasizing the presumption of innocence. This alone could take 18,000 pretrial detainees out of prison. We are, then, signing agreements with therapeutic communities for drug-related crimes. Finally, we are working on alternative sentences to imprisonment and the renovation of disused barracks,” Nordio concluded.
(ITALPRESS).
-Photo: Photogram Agency-
Prisons, Nordio “Amnesty and pardon do not solve the problems”
