Overview

• Two inmates identified as Algerian Mahrez Souki, 32, and Syrian Kazem Mohmed Elokla, 23, escaped overnight from Naples’ Poggioreale by making a hole in a wall and descending with a makeshift rope.
• Both Poggioreale fugitives were located within hours and taken back into custody in the Mondragone area, according to late-day reports.
• Union officials link the Poggioreale breakout to thin August staffing and note a local shortfall of more than 150 correctional officers that reassignment plans will not fill before late September.
• In Bolzano, two detainees fled during yard time on Aug. 17 using construction scaffolding and an unguarded perimeter; a 30-year-old Moroccan was found in Merano, while a 19-year-old Tunisian remains at large after receiving hospital care for leg injuries.
• Unions cite wider strain across Italy’s prisons, reporting facilities over capacity by roughly 16,000 inmates nationwide and chronic personnel gaps, with Bolzano alone housing 98 inmates for 88 places and operating with 63 agents out of 136 needed.