Italy's first conjugal visit
according to new rules for such activities in Italian
penitentiaries took place at a prison in Terni on Friday
morning, officials said.
The man, a high-security prisoner from Campania, spent two hours
with his partner, sources told ANSA.
The room was set up with a double bed, television, bathroom,
shower, two chairs and a small table in an area of ;;the prison
close to the interview room to ensure the greatest possible
privacy.
The guarantor of the prisoners of Umbria, the lawyer Giuseppe
Caforio, spoke of a "small organizational miracle" performed by
the Terni prison, regarding the setting up of the so-called
'affectivity' room that allowed a prisoner to have an "intimate
encounter" with his partner.
"There is satisfaction because everything went smoothly but it
is necessary to maintain maximum privacy to protect the people
involved ," the ombudsman stated to ANSA.
"We can say that a sort of experiment went well - explained
Caforio - and in the coming days there will be other meetings".
The room set up in Terni is the only one present in the prisons
of Umbria.
It can host up to three meetings a day but is currently used for
only one.
"However, more are needed - explained the Guarantor - because
there are more and more requests from prisoners. Funds are
needed to guarantee equal access to rights".
The new rules were issued a week ago.
Conjugal visits in Italian prisons will be two hours long and
take place in a room with a bed and
hygienic facilities whose door cannot be locked from the inside,
penitentiary system chief Lina Di Domenico said in instructions
sent to wardens last Friday.
The number of such visits will be the same as currently granted
for face-to-face visits each month, she said.
The room will be checked before and after the visits, which will
be surveilled by suitably equipped staff, said Di Domenico.
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