A new complaint from Campo Largo comes more than a month after the transfer of 90 inmates under the 41 bis regime to Uta prison. "The most dangerous bosses of Italian criminal organizations, who have nothing to do with Sardinia, have already arrived here and risk irreversibly impacting our social and economic system," declared Democratic Party Senator Marco Meloni immediately after an inspection of the facility, which was also attended by the party's Justice Minister, Debora Serracchiani , and MP Francesca Ghirra (PD-Progressisti).
"The situation inside is very serious," Meloni explained. "It's a prison with almost 40% more inmates, there's a lack of prison police, a lack of healthcare, and the pressure from the 41bis prison regime, which arrived in September, is complicating the situation." The risk of criminal infiltration is very high, she added. "We believe that all Sardinian politicians should appeal to the Government and Parliament to stop this trend."
Serracchiani emphasized that Uta prison isn't just about the mafia bosses under the 41-bis regime, but also the high-security regime: "There's therefore a security issue, both within the institution itself and outside it, and the fragility of the region." She called it "a reckless decision by Minister Nordio and President Meloni. All Sardinian politicians must say no to what's happening and to the reckless decision they've made." The MP particularly criticizes the healthcare aspects: "Prison healthcare is a national issue; you can't transfer 90 people to the 41-bis regime without providing Sardinia with medical staff, the resources to pay for them, and the necessary services."
Ghirra noted that UTA currently houses 848 inmates, 200 more than it could accommodate, with a staffing shortage of 120. Furthermore, "the presence of the 41 bis regime has an impact on healthcare: there should be ten doctors, but there are only two. The situation is serious: when inmates are transferred to the Santissima Trinità hospital, the guarding leads to a shortage of prison police personnel."
