Italy Makes It Hard For Jailbirds to Stay in Jail; A Mass Pardon Triggers Wave of Bank Heists

WSJ ^ | April 8, 2008 | GABRIEL KAHN

[Brilliant]

Less than two years ago, Italy's prison system faced a crisis: Built to hold 43,000 inmates, it was straining to contain more than 60,000.

So the government crafted an emergency plan. It swung open the prison doors and let more than a third of the inmates go free.

Within months, bank robberies jumped by 20%. Kidnappings and fraud also rose, as did computer crime, arson and purse-snatchings. The prison population, however, fell so much that for awhile Italy had more prison guards than prisoners to guard.

In Italy, it sometimes seems that no bad deed goes unpardoned.

The nation's legal system has roots in the unforgiving codes of the Roman Empire, well known for crucifixions and feeding people to the lions. But since then it has evolved to become infused with Roman Catholic notions of forgiveness, along with a healthy dose of bureaucracy.

The death penalty is considered abhorrent, and life sentences are rare. Defendants have the right to two appeals, and even traffic tickets can be appealed to the nation's highest court. Italy's courts are so clogged that the statute of limitations on most felonies expires before a final verdict can be reached.

Claudio Urciuoli, a criminal defense lawyer in Rome, says he often reassures his clients: "Don't worry, you'll never go to prison."

With the justice system at a standstill, prosecution carries little stigma. Consider Italy's two-time prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. He has been named as the target in more than a dozen criminal probes, and has been sent to trial at least a half-dozen times on charges ranging from tax evasion to bribing judges...

[Brilliant]

This is the model that the liberals would like to follow in the US.

[pnh102]

So the government crafted an emergency plan. It swung open the prison doors and let more than a third of the inmates go free.

Who did they hire to run the prison system, Mike Dukakis?

[TCats]

I was going to say the same thing. We are well on the way towards this mayhem and the total lack of any real consequences or shame for any act.

[Thrownatbirth]

In Italy, most inmates will just move back in with their mothers. In some cases, that may be Ma Barker.

[ELS]

So the government crafted an emergency plan. It swung open the prison doors and let more than a third of the inmates go free.

This from the same country that gave us Thomas Aquinas, Leonardo da Vinci, Alessandro Volta, etc. (sigh)

[Truth29]

Moral inversion. Free the criminals, make the law abiding prisoners in their own country through fear of attack.

[camle]

notice how the author tries to swing the blame from liberals to the Church?

[lowbridge]

bump

[Nathan Zachary]

This is the model that the liberals would like to follow in the US.

Italy's courts are so clogged that the statute of limitations on most felonies expires before a final verdict can be reached.

We are getting there. No doubt, Italian lawyers are also a mafia syndicate. They'll keep you out of jail, but it's going to cost you, and if you don't pay that interest bearing fee (probably somewhere in the 75% area) or miss a weekly installment, the first time doubles what you owne, the second time you learn why Italians are so good at working with cement and why Italians are lousy fishermen. They're always going out fishing but never bring any home.