A 17-year-old escapes from Milan's Beccaria juvenile prison.

The news comes from the prison police union: a 17-year-old boy escaped from the Beccaria juvenile prison in Milan yesterday. He had been arrested for robbery.

Aldo Di Giacomo, secretary of the union , spoke out: "The young man escaped by climbing over some bars. The case rekindles the seemingly dormant attention on Beccaria—always the most problematic juvenile detention center—and on the recurring escapes."

Then a more general reflection: "Escapes and attempted escapes have increased by 300 percent in just a few months, proving that the problem of surveillance and therefore of prison staff is the priority of priorities, because, as in the case of Beccaria, in all institutions the shortage of officers is being exploited, in too many cases only four to supervise 60-70 inmates. The only one who is not aware of this," Di Giacomo attacks, "is Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro, who continues to send messages of optimism and repeat that everything is under control. The news these days tells us that there have already been four escapes and attempted escapes in one week. As for Beccaria, we are dealing with a very difficult institution, particularly given the age and origin of the young inmates."

And again: "The current prison system for juveniles is not only useless, but it's actually a sort of school for crime, with 90% of those admitted embarking on a "criminal career," immediately transitioning to regular prison. Seventy percent of juveniles are admitted for pre-trial detention, with an average stay of just over 100 days. In 2023, 79.3% of admissions were for pre-trial detention. Well over half of the remaining admissions (140 out of 237) were for serving a sentence from freedom."

State Police and prison officers near the Beccaria juvenile prison in Milan (Ansa)