"There's no life here, we'd like to close our eyes forever": a letter from Brescia prison

Exasperated, he took up pen and paper and wrote a fiery letter to Minister Nordio, published by the Giornale di Brescia . Here's what Walter Monaco, an inmate at the Canton Mombello prison in Brescia, one of the most overcrowded in Italy, wrote to the Minister of Justice.

Dear Minister Nordio, I am Walter Monaco, one of the many prisoners under alternative measures. Today I am "almost free," but like every year, I see in my eyes the colors of the trees beneath the Brescia Nerio Fischione prison. Dear Minister Nordio, if it is true that overcrowding has nothing to do with the constant suicides in prisons, I would like to illustrate this perspective to you. I found myself in the midst of absolute noise, amidst screams of desperation, among other inmates committing self-harm in front of the Canton Mombello infirmary, seeking psychotropic drugs so they could forget about anything. The Brescia prison is a strange environment, an island in the city center. Outside, you can hear the noise of cars and city traffic, and inside, you feel alone, as we inmates in Brescia feel every year at this time of year. We find ourselves among so many people, but inside, we are alone, we are empty.

You know, Minister Nordio, this, like Christmas, is the worst time of the year. Everything is at a standstill, we don't see the teachers, we see no prospects for the future, the staff is on vacation , the scorching heat in the cells turns into a trap : too hot to move and get some fresh air, too hot to sleep, too tired to stay awake. At this time of year, dear Minister Nordio, many of us long to escape this trap, and perhaps the only way is to close our eyes for the last time. I thank Brescia and the people of Brescia for helping us move forward, even though it's difficult. Dear Minister Nordio, the heat, the dust in Canton Mombello, the screams of drug-addicted prisoners who just want to close their eyes—we can't take it anymore. A democratic country grants a pardon, even if only as an act of clemency.

Today, Canton Mombello is once again becoming one of the most crowded penitentiaries in Italy. Every year we hear rumors, every year we hear promises, every year we are deluded into thinking things will soon change for us. In reality, the only possible solution is to close our eyes to sleep and perhaps never open them again. Dear Minister Nordio, have a great end to the summer, with love, one of many.

FROM

Web Editorial Staff