INMATE SUICIDE ATTEMPT AVERTED BY PRISON GUARDS

INMATE SUICIDE ATTEMPT AVERTED BY PRISON GUARDS

(ANSA) - Agrigento, November 6 - Sicilian prison guards on Friday said they averted a suicide attempt by a prison inmate who set her cell on fire.

Guards said they found the woman lying unconscious on the floor of her cell, but were able to drag her to safety before putting out the flames.

The president of prison guards' union Osapp, Domenico Nicotra, said the incident showed prison guards' commitment to inmates' safety, despite a recent probe into violence by staff.

''A lot of fingers have been pointed at prison guards lately, but it's important to recognize the difficult job they due everyday,'' Nicotra said.

Conditions for Italian inmates have come under the spotlight following following two recent prison deaths and a probe into violence by staff.

A high-profile prisoner convicted of terrorism, Diana Blefari Melazzi, hung herself on Saturday nine days after another inmate, Stefano Cucchi, died in a prison hospital with broken bones.

Meanwhile, prosecutors last week opened a criminal investigation at another jail after an audio recording emerged of a graphic conversation between two guards indicating inmates were regularly subjected to physical abuse by staff.

In an address to the Senate on Tuesday, Justice Minister Angelino Alfano promised a full investigation into Cucchi's death and spoke of an upcoming plan to relieve prison overcrowding.

Intended to cope with a prison population that is growing by around 800 people a month, the plan envisions the construction of 24 new prisons at a cost of 1.4 billion euros and suggests making greater use of house arrest.

The Italian prison population currently numbers over 65,000. Its official capacity is 43,262, with temporary room for up to 63,568 in emergency situations.

According to prisoners association Ristretti Orizzonti, 146 inmates have died in prison since the start of this year, of which 59 committed suicide.

The association said that on average, 150 people have died in Italian prisons each year since 1992, around a third of whom took their own life.