Italy Begins Conjugal Visits in Prison “Sex Rooms”
Joining other western European nations, Italy began permitting prisoners to have conjugal visits on April 18, 2025. Officials did not identify the prisoner making inaugural use of the newly constructed “sex room” at his prison in the Umbrian town of Terni.
The move follows a January 2024 ruling by the nation’s Constitutional Court recognizing that prisoners have a right to “intimate meetings” with visiting partners. That ruling also noted that similar provisions already exist in France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden.
The Justice Ministry then promulgated rules providing for unsupervised visits in a room that must remain unlocked, each lasting up to two hours. The rooms are outfitted with a bed and toilet. The space comes at a premium, though; Italian prisons hold some 62,000 prisoners, about 21% over capacity.
“We can say that a sort of experiment went well and in the next few days there will be other meetings,” promised Giuseppe Caforio, Umbria prisoner rights Ombudsman.
Source: Reuters News
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