The so-called "love rooms" of Padua's Due Palazzi prison will be open beginning today. These areas are designated for inmates to have personal moments with their partners. The rooms, which are situated in close proximity to the meeting rooms, will guarantee privacy and security. They are equipped with a bed, a television, and an adjacent toilet, but they lack internal locks. The project, backed by many volunteer associations, notably "Ristretti Orizzonti", arose following the Constitutional Court verdict that deemed the 1975 law's ban on intimate visits unconstitutional. The trial will be accessible exclusively to those authorized by the Surveillance Magistrate and will last for four months. It will be accessible to prisoners in standard prison systems, but it will not be available to those who have been convicted of severe crimes, such as femicide, or are under special measures. According to the Department of Penitentiary Administration, roughly 17,000 people in Italy may be qualified for this new right to affection while behind bars.
|