Tensions were high yesterday in Massama prison , in Oristano, where two inmates staged a protest that continued until late evening, requiring the intervention of the State Police.
"An incident that, in a sufficiently staffed and well-organized institution, would have been handled promptly and safely," emphasized Giacomo Mascia, deputy regional secretary of SINAPPE . But in Oristano, he highlighted "the absolute impossibility of ensuring control of the institution with the current staff."
The protest involved two inmates, one in high-security and the other in medium-security. The two climbed onto the roof of the walkways and remained there for hours , from the afternoon until late evening. Police intervention was requested to prevent further damage and secure the exterior of the facility, because at Massama the prison police "are no longer able to cover even the minimum essential shifts."
Adding to the crisis is the promiscuity of prison systems. The forced coexistence of high-security inmates with less dangerous ones has transformed the prison into a "powder keg," creating a climate of "permanent tension." Medium-security inmates, in fact, often and willingly sympathize with the violent actions of high-security inmates, making any intervention "unmanageable."
"The condition of the institute has exceeded all limits of operational and human tolerability," thunders Mascia, recalling that the union has been calling for structural interventions for months. But "our requests have gone unheard: no reinforcements, no corrective measures, no concrete response . Today, it's no longer just the safety of the staff that's compromised: the safety of the entire city community is at stake. The staff is exhausted, subjected to unsustainable workloads, grueling shifts, and responsibilities that can no longer be met with staff numbers reduced far beyond any minimum standard." The situation, in short, is "out of control" and requires "immediate, extraordinary, and no longer postponable" interventions.
(Unioneonline)
