Overview
- On Friday the procuratore capo of Palermo, Maurizio De Lucia, publicly declared that Italy’s prisons are effectively controlled by criminal organizations and cited recorded “call conference” contacts between inmates, outside associates and detainees in other facilities.
- De Lucia said recent investigations uncovered orders and munitions purchases made from prison and the discovery of two hand grenades at a suspect’s home, while warning that Kalashnikovs and high‑explosive bombs from past and current conflict zones are reaching Sicily.
- He linked the spread of inside‑outside coordination and heavier armaments to a renewed wave of extortion and a return to violence in parts of Palermo, singling out the San Lorenzo neighbourhood as an area with a deliberate strategy of intimidation.
- De Lucia attributed the problem to chronic overcrowding, insufficient rehabilitation and addiction treatment and a high share of inmates with drug dependencies who, he said, should not be in prison, arguing structural reform is needed beyond short‑term security measures.
- His statements have widened a public debate over security after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggested using the army in Palermo; De Lucia endorsed a limited, substitutional army role at fixed posts while Justice Minister Carlo Nordio sharply rebuked him for criticizing the prison police.