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Italy officially launched its first-ever private sex room for inmates to meet partners intimately, with the inaugural visit taking place on Friday at a prison in the central Umbria region. This marks a significant step in upholding inmates’ rights to intimacy, following a Constitutional Court ruling earlier this year.
The room, located at a prison in Terni, was used by an inmate and his female partner in what officials described as a successful trial.
Privacy at the Core of the New Measure
Giuseppe Caforio, Umbria’s ombudsman for prisoners’ rights, told the ANSA news agency, “We are happy because everything went smoothly but it is necessary to maintain the maximum privacy to protect the people involved.”
Caforio described the encounter as “a sort of experiment” and confirmed that additional visits were scheduled in the coming days.
Legal Backing For Sex Room In Prison
The initiative stems from a Constitutional Court ruling published in January 2024. The court determined that inmates should have the right to private meetings with spouses or long-term partners—free from surveillance by prison guards.
The judgment emphasized that such intimate visits are already permitted in several other European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
Ministry Guidelines On Prison Sex Room Set Boundaries
Following the court ruling, Italy’s justice ministry issued specific guidelines last week. These outline that inmates allowed intimate visits must be provided a private room equipped with a bed and toilet. Visits can last up to two hours.
Importantly, the guidelines stipulate that the room’s door should remain unlocked—allowing guards to intervene if necessary, without compromising the sense of privacy.
Overcrowded and Struggling Prisons
The move toward granting more personal freedoms comes amid serious challenges within the Italian prison system. With over 62,000 inmates, Italy’s prisons are operating more than 21% above their official capacity. Authorities have also reported a troubling rise in inmate suicides in recent years.
The new initiative, while modest in scale, is seen as a step toward addressing longstanding criticisms of Italy’s prison conditions and bringing them closer in line with broader European standards.
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