A sensational escape by an inmate admitted to the Santissima Trinità hospital in Cagliari has been foiled. The man attempted to flee the facility but was stopped by the Penitentiary Police , who managed to stop him and bring the situation under control. The incident, which occurred yesterday in the Psychiatry ward , was reported by the Independent Union of Penitentiary Police, which calls it a "foretold escape." The officers managed to apprehend him with some difficulty, and he sustained bruises. The SAPPE (Italian Public Safety Authority) is once again pointing the finger at the failure to activate the hospital ward dedicated to inmates, which has been ready for over fifteen years but has never been operational.
According to the reconstruction, the escape attempt occurred in a particularly sensitive context, in front of other patients and their families. "What happened is serious and is yet another underestimation of the alarm raised by SAPPE," denounces Luca Fais, national secretary for Sardinia . "The Penitentiary Police handled the situation professionally, but continues to operate in critical conditions ." SAPPE reiterates the need to activate the detention ward at Is Mirrionis hospital, which has never been operational . "Having a dedicated ward," the union emphasizes, " would allow us to concentrate the hospitalized inmates and ensure higher levels of security ." Currently, three guard stations are underway in Cagliari, while similar situations have also occurred in the emergency room in Oristano, due to the lack of holding rooms.
"The situation in the Ettore Scalas prison in Uta is particularly critical," emphasizes Donato Capece, secretary general of SAPPE, "as confirmed by the occupancy data: out of the 561 regular places, there are 730 inmates, representing an overcrowding rate of 130%. This is compounded by a staff shortage in the Uta Penitentiary Police Department. Attacks, scuffles, and injuries to staff, as well as fights and attempted suicides, are unfortunately the order of the day. It is important and urgent for us to develop a new custodial model. Urgent action is needed to address the ongoing critical issues in Sardinia's prison system." He also recalls the fire that occurred in the Uta prison on New Year's Eve, when some irresponsible inmates set fire to objects in the prison section, creating a highly dangerous and tense situation, which was nevertheless managed with great skill by the Baschi Azzurri.
Capece also denounces "the operational difficulties that Penitentiary Police units face every day in prisons on the island and throughout the country and reiterates the problem of the frequent transfer of inmates to external hospitals and medical centers, which requires a significant use of escort personnel due to the widespread pathologies among inmates.
(Unioneonline/vf)