Cappellano Oliviero Cattani denounces structural problems in Pisa prison

Father Oliviero Cattani, the chaplain of the Don Bosco prison in Pisa, reported that the facility faces precarious conditions due to structural, hygienic, and sanitary issues. He noted that these problems, along with overcrowding and a shortage of prison police staff, contribute to ongoing tensions within the prison.

The chaplain's comments follow a riot on Wednesday, September 30, involving dozens of inmates who barricaded themselves in a ward within the judicial section. The protest began after inmates discovered microphones in their cells and reportedly started with a TikTok live stream conducted on a prohibited mobile phone. The riot ended around 5 a.m. on Thursday after mediators from the prison police intervened. Authorities transferred some inmates, believed to be the organizers of the protest, to other prisons.

Father Cattani, who also serves as the director of the Caritas diocesana di Pisa, was unable to visit the prison during the unrest due to a diocesan clergy assembly.