Revolt underway at Enna prison; surveillance cameras broken

A riot involving approximately 120 inmates has erupted at the Enna prison in Sicily, with prisoners seizing control of sections of the old pavilion, smashing surveillance cameras, and causing significant damage. The unrest is said to have been triggered by a recent disruption to phone lines caused by a lightning strike, which prevented inmates from making calls to their families. Although the phone service was reportedly restored on the morning of the riot, the prisoners initiated their protest.

Prison union officials have voiced strong criticism, highlighting chronic staff shortages and the deteriorating condition of the Enna facility. Mimmo Nicotra, national president of the Confederation of Prison Police Unions, stated that the prison has been suffering from a severe lack of personnel for months. He also mentioned previous calls for inmates to be relocated to allow for necessary renovations of the aging structure.

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For months we have denounced the serious staff shortage in the Luigi Bodenza prison in Enna. We had asked that the inmates be evacuated to allow for the renovation of the prison, which is ancient. The government's and Minister Carlo Nordio's propaganda shatters against the reality of Italian prisons. 65 thousand inmates crammed into institutions that are real powder kegs. In Enna, the inmates, instead of being evacuated, were transferred to other sections of the same institution. Now the situation is very serious.

Nicotra emphasized the stark contrast between government propaganda and the reality within Italian prisons, describing them as "powder kegs" holding around 65,000 inmates. He noted that in Enna, instead of being moved, inmates were transferred to other sections of the same institution, exacerbating the situation. The current circumstances are described as "very serious."

Adding to the tension, shortly before the riot began, prison police had confiscated several mobile phones illegally brought into the facility and seized doses of narcotics. Reinforcements, including agents from the Gio (Operational Intervention Group) from Catania, are en route, and the prison is surrounded by carabinieri, police, and financial police. The prison police union has requested assistance from colleagues in other prisons. The timing of the riot, occurring on a Saturday in peak summer during the holiday leave period which further depletes staff numbers, is seen as significant, with the facility operating with critically low staffing levels – reportedly only 6 or 7 officers on duty for around 200 inmates.

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What is happening in the 'Luigi Bodenza' prison in Enna is of absolute gravity and is the direct consequence of years of inertia, delays, and decision-making incapacity by those who should have intervened in time. This is a riot that, unfortunately, had been widely announced.