Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Italy

The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published on April 20th 2010 the report on its fifth periodic visit to Italy, carried out from 14 to 26 September 2008, together with the response of the Italian Government. These documents have been made public at the request of the Italian authorities.

The report refers particularly about the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by law enforcement officials; the conditions of detention at the Identification and Expulsion Centres; the judicial psychiatric hospitals and the Psychiatric diagnosis and Treatment Departments.

On prison matters, the Committee’s delegation focused on overcrowding, prison health care (the responsibilities for these kind of facilities has now been transferred to the regions) and the treatment of prisoners who are subject to a maximum security regime (“41-bis”)