A 17-year-old Moroccan inmate arrested for armed robbery escaped on Sunday, July 27, from the Cesare Beccaria juvenile prison in Milan, Italy. According to the Penitentiary Police Union (SPP), the teen took advantage of a moment of low security and managed to climb over bars to flee the facility, local media reported on Monday. The escape has reignited controversy around Milan's juvenile detention centers, the same source added. The SPP reports a 300% surge in escapes and attempted escapes in recent months, attributing the crisis largely to chronic staffing shortages. «In facilities like Beccaria, the lack of prison officers is systematically exploited», the union stated, noting that in some cases, only four guards are responsible for supervising 60 to 70 inmates. The Beccaria facility had already come under scrutiny in April 2024, when Milan prosecutors arrested 13 prison guards, 12 of them working at the same juvenile center, on suspicion of torture and ill-treatment of detainees.
