“Out of breath”, the 21st Antigone report on detention conditions in Italy
June 3rd, 2025
The 21st Antigone Report, titled “Out of breath,” has been released. Based on a year of visits and monitoring across more than 90 penitentiary institutions, the report provides a thorough analysis of the conditions within Italian prisons.
The findings highlight critical issues in detention, including overcrowding, extensive use of psychotropic medication, and structural as well as rehabilitative deficiencies affecting both adult and juvenile facilities. In addition to these enduring challenges, the report focuses on two particularly significant phenomena.
The first concerns the rising number of suicides in custody: at least 91 occurred in 2024, with over 30 recorded in the early months of 2025. These figures raise important questions about the purpose of incarceration and the prison system’s capacity to protect the right to life and health of those deprived of liberty.
The second phenomenon relates to cases of torture and mistreatment within the prison system. The report documents numerous legal proceedings initiated against individuals from various professional categories, including prison officers, medical staff, and prison administrators. These incidents underscore the urgent need to strengthen abuse prevention and oversight mechanisms within the penitentiary system.
The full report is available on Antigone’s website — click here.