Two agents attacked at the Malaspina juvenile institute

Last Updated: May 8, 2024

Due agenti aggrediti all'istituto minorile Malaspina

Two prison police officers in Palermo were attacked by two juvenile inmates at the Malaspina prison during a fight. The two youths started arguing with each other during their outdoor recreation time. The officers intervened to separate them, but were themselves attacked.

Paolo La Corte, local secretary of the autonomous prison police union Sappe, recounted the incident: “Two inmates who were in the main courtyard for their recreation time started arguing and two police officers, who intervened to calm the situation, were injured and are currently in the hospital. Thanks to the professional intervention of the prison police personnel, a worse outcome was avoided. The situation is unsustainable: my solidarity and wishes for a speedy recovery go to our injured colleagues.”

According to Donato Capece, general secretary of Sappe, “for years, especially since the policy was changed to allow adults up to 25 years old to be incarcerated in juvenile detention centers, we have been unsuccessfully asking the authorities of the juvenile justice department to make the management and treatment policies adequate for the changing juvenile inmate population, which is increasingly characterized by serious criminal profiles as young as 15 or 16 years old, as well as by adults up to 25 years old who are still being confined. The reality of the Italian juvenile detention system, as continuously denounced by Sappe, is more complex and problematic than one may imagine.”