Abstract

Starting from an analysis of the impact of Covid-19 inside the Italian prison system, the article focuses on the strong relationship among health, pain and conflict within the penitentiary field. The pandemic affected a prison system where the right to health is usually and structurally violated. The Authors analyse the institutional reaction, both to the pandemic and to the stark and extraordinary prison riots that took place in early March 2020, in terms of marked re-affirmation of power and order. The closing strategies and a limited reduction of the number of detainees, revealed some critical points concerning the connection between health protection and prison management. The article ends with a reflection on the long-term effects produced by the institutional reaction, regarding rising conflicts and prisoners’ rights violations