A 'room of affection' has opened at the Terni prison in the central Italian region of Umbria. This space allows inmates to engage in sexual relations with their spouses or partners, featuring a bed, bathroom, and TV.
Italy's public broadcaster Rai reported on the 18th (local time) about this. However, to ensure safety and respond to emergencies, visits must remain open for immediate intervention by guards.
Earlier, the Italian Constitutional Court recognized in January of last year that inmates have the right to have private meetings with spouses or long-term partners who visit them from outside. Following this, the Ministry of Justice announced guidelines allowing inmates to spend up to two hours of private time in rooms equipped with beds and bathrooms.
The Terni prison was the first to implement these guidelines among prisons nationwide. Currently, one visit takes place each day, with plans to expand to a maximum of three visits daily in the future.
The first to use the 'room of affection' were a 60-year-old inmate from Campania and his partner. Although they are not legally married, their long-term and stable relationship was recognized, allowing the visit.
However, the guards' union is opposing the initiative. In a statement, the union questioned, 'Should guards be responsible for monitoring the private lives of inmates?' and described it as 'an affront to professional pride.'
In Europe, sexual relations within prisons are said to be common. Countries such as Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, and Albania are reported to implement such systems.
South Korea has operated a 'family meeting house' system since 1999, allowing exemplary inmates to spend one night and two days in a house styled like a pension near the prison with their families.