About 100 inmates riot at Enna prison, occupy old wing and destroy cameras after phone outage

A violent riot erupted at the Luigi Bodenza prison in Enna, Sicily, on Friday morning, as around 100 inmates occupied the old wing, destroyed surveillance cameras, and caused extensive damage to the facility. The unrest followed days of tension after a lightning strike knocked out the prison's telephone switchboards, cutting off inmates' ability to call their families. Although the fault was repaired earlier in the day, the situation escalated into a full-scale occupation and rampage.

What triggered the riot

The telephone outage began several days ago when a lightning strike damaged the prison's switchboards. Inmates were unable to contact relatives, and frustration mounted. Service was restored on Friday morning, but the unrest still broke out, with detainees seizing sections of the old pavilion and vandalising the premises. Surveillance cameras were smashed, and parts of the institute were set ablaze, according to reports.

Union criticism and prison conditions

Mimmo Nicotra, national president of the Confederation of Penitentiary Police Unions, sharply criticised the government and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, linking the riot to chronic understaffing and the dilapidated state of the facility.

For months we have been denouncing the serious shortage of staff at the Luigi Bodenza prison in Enna. We had asked for the inmates to be evacuated to allow the renovation of the prison, which is dilapidated. The propaganda of the government and Minister Carlo Nordio crashes against the reality of Italian prisons. 65,000 inmates crammed into facilities that are real powder kegs. In Enna, instead of being evacuated, the inmates were transferred to other sections of the same facility. Now the situation is extremely serious.

Nicotra's remarks highlight long-standing grievances over staffing levels and the failure to carry out promised renovations. The union had previously called for the prison to be emptied so that structural upgrades could proceed, but inmates were merely moved to other parts of the same ageing complex.

Recent security incidents

The riot comes just days after another security alarm at the same prison. The Autonomous Union of Penitentiary Police (SAPPE) reported a second escape attempt in a short period, foiled by officers. During that incident, a detainee fell and broke a leg while trying to scale an internal wall to reach an area where packages are thrown from outside. The union has repeatedly pointed to structural weaknesses that allow inmates to access the inner perimeter, and says that funded safety improvements have not yet been implemented.

Broader context

The events at Enna underscore wider tensions in Italy's prison system. Nicotra's reference to 65,000 inmates housed in facilities he described as "powder kegs" reflects persistent overcrowding and infrastructure problems. No immediate response from Minister Nordio or the government has been reported.