Brutality Unveiled: Trapani's Pietro Cerulli Prison Under Scrutiny for Systematic Abuse

 Violence was systematically employed to enforce order at Pietro Cerulli prison in Trapani. Inmates, particularly the most vulnerable, were subjected to beatings, humiliations, insults, physical and psychological abuse, and sometimes outright torture. Gabriele Paci, the Chief Prosecutor, described the prison environment as a "Dantean circle," likening the scenes to those in Victor Hugo’s "Les Misérables." He revealed that at least a fifth of the penitentiary officers were involved in these repeated and widespread abuses. Following an investigation initiated in 2021, based on inmate reports, 25 officers have been issued restraining and prohibitive measures: 11 under house arrest, 14 suspended, and 46 under investigation. These officers include those who knew of the abuses but remained silent.

The investigation uncovered a "general acceptance" of violence seen as a necessary means to enforce rules, creating a "law-free zone" where lawlessness and disproportionate violence were the norms. The charges range from torture and slander to falsifying public documents—adjusting service reports to slander inmates and cover up abuses—to assault, degrading treatment, and abuse of authority, with the aggravating circumstance of the officers' public roles.

This systemic abuse predominantly occurred in areas initially devoid of surveillance cameras, particularly in the so-called "blue building," the isolation wing. Once the investigation began, with cooperation from the prison management and the ethical part of the penitentiary administration, cameras were covertly installed, documenting the non-episodic violence within the ward. Recorded footage showed that some guards, besides failing to intervene, neglected to report the violence. Detainees were sometimes stripped, doused with water mixed with urine, and subjected to near-group violence. Continuous, degrading abuses occurred without justification, often in front of other inmates.

In some cases, Judge Giancarlo Caruso recognized the actions as qualifying for torture charges. The order cited an incident involving a Moroccan inmate forced to walk naked down a corridor amid insults and mockery, causing "verifiable psychological trauma." Prisoners with psychiatric or psychological issues were not spared; they were typically taken to the blue wing, where they were mocked, beaten, and insulted until the wing's closure in 2023 for sanitary reasons, halting the punishment and torture system.

Prosecutor Paci condemned these actions, stating that institutional roles do not justify violence, despite recognizing the general degradation and stress faced by the guards. The prison atmosphere was one of terror, evidenced by footage and wiretaps revealing the guards' brutality: "You're a dog, you're a dog, got it? Worthless thing, kill yourself...this one's black, nothing shows."

The investigation has also stirred political responses, with the opposition demanding that the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, report to the chamber. Debora Serracchiani from the Democratic Party has called for an urgent briefing, while Riccardo Magi, secretary of +Europa, sarcastically commented on the undersecretary Delmastro’s possible reactions to the arrests related to the tortures.