Their deaths come as part of a wider spate that has seen 15 prisoners take their own lives in Italian prisons this year.
“This is a form of non-violent protest against the dramatic conditions the Verona institute is enduring,” said local inmates rights group Bars of Sugar.
“[The conditions include] overcrowding, the almost total lack of work activities and the escalation in suicides and suicide attempts.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Monday the suicide spate must be countered with more prison places and more staff hirings.
Meloni rejects opposition suggestions to ease overcrowding by boosting alternatives to prison detention and decriminalising many crimes such as minor drugs offences.
ANSA
