The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report on its visit to Italy in April 2024, together with the response of the Italian authorities.
The visit focused on the treatment and conditions of detention of foreign nationals held in four, closed pre-removal centres (Centri di permanenza per il rimpatrio or CPRs) in Milan, Gradisca, Potenza and Rome.
The CPT found several cases of alleged physical ill-treatment and excessive use of force by police officers of foreign nationals detained in the CPRs visited, usually following a disturbance or act of vandalism in the centres. The report highlights the absence of any rigorous and independent monitoring of such interventions by the police and the lack of accurate recording of injuries sustained by detained persons or of any assessment as to their origin.
The Committee is also critical of the widespread practice of the administration of unprescribed psychotropic drugs diluted in water to foreign nationals, as documented at the Potenza CPR. The practice of transporting foreign nationals to a CPR while handcuffed in a police vehicle without being offered food and water during journeys of several hours should be reviewed.
More generally, the Committee is highly critical of the physical layout and design of CPRs and in particular the carceral environment, which could be considered as similar to those observed by the Committee in the detention units accommodating prisoners under special regime. Examples of such elements include triple metal mesh screens on windows, and cage-like outdoor facilities. Other shortcomings identified relate to the poor quality of food provided to detained persons and the shortage of stocks of toiletries.
In terms of the regime of activities on offer, foreign nationals were effectively being warehoused in the CPRs, with the relevant CPR contractors investing only minimal efforts to offer a few activities of a purposeful nature. The relevant tender specifications (Capitolato) had not been respected, and the CPT noted that several criminal investigations against the management of various CPRs had been opened.
The CPT gained the distinct impression that the high rate of critical events and violence recorded inside the CPRs was a direct consequence of the disproportionate security restrictions, the lack of individual risk assessments of foreign nationals, and the fact that detained persons were in effect provided with nothing to occupy their time. The Committee advocates for a full range of purposeful activities to be introduced, particularly in light of the extension of the period of detention up to a maximum of 18 months.
In relation to the provision of healthcare, the current system of general practitioners certifying a person as fit for detention in a CPR should be reviewed, to ensure that doctors with prior experience and knowledge of the conditions in a secure setting are involved. The CPT also considers that the medical screening of detained persons upon their admission should be improved.
The current approach whereby various law enforcement agencies, notably anti-riot and intervention groups, provide custodial supervision within CPRs on a rotational basis is not appropriate. In the CPT's view, there is the need to create a dedicated corps of detention officers who are adequately trained in the specific challenges of supervising persons placed in immigration detention centres, in particular as regards interpersonal skills and the ability to recognise symptoms of possible stress reactions.
With regard to the legal safeguards afforded to persons subject to a trattenimento in a CPR, the CPT recommends that access to a lawyer be improved. Further, foreign nationals held in so-called locali idonei - holding areas in National Police Headquarters (Questure) in ports, airports and border crossings -, should be afforded the necessary safeguards such as information on their rights, access to a lawyer and notification of their detention to a third party.
The report concludes that the CPT's findings, notably in relation to the very poor material conditions, the absence of a regime of activities, the disproportionate security approach, the variable quality of healthcare provision and the lack of transparency of the management of CPRs by private contractors, call into question the application of such a model by Italy in an extra-territorial setting, such as in Albania.
In their response, the Italian authorities provide detailed information on the operation of the extraterritorial efforts to detain migrants in centres on Albanian territory, with particular reference to the assessment of their vulnerability. Further, the Italian authorities indicate that the cases of physical ill-treatment described in the report have not been the subject of criminal investigations and that several inspections have been carried out by the health authorities at the Potenza CPR in relation to the practice of allegedly widespread over-medication of detained persons. Detailed information is also provided on the design and layout of the CPRs and certain carceral and security elements are justified in light of the high rate of vandalism by the detained population. The response also contains information on the inspections carried out by the Ministry of the Interior at various CPRs to verify standards of material conditions and staffing levels. Finally, reference is made to the publication of new tender specifications (Capitolato) for the management of CPRs.
Read the report (English only)
Read the executive summary (in English, in Italian)
Read the response (in English, in Italian)
