This documentary deals with the italian CPRs, facilities where migrants are locked up, without having committed a crime, only because they do not have a residence permit and all in order to be repatriated to their countries of origin. There are 10 centers in Italy, which can accommodate around 1,300 people. Data of the Guarantor for the rights of persons detained or deprived of personal liberty show that the majority of people imprisoned in these facilities come from Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and, in general, from North Africa.
The CPRs resemble prisons but the conditions the inmates live in are worse because they do not have the same rights the prison system assures. Their management is entrusted to private cooperatives and multinational corporations, which are granted contracts worth millions of euros of public funds, reducing basic services in order to raise profits.
This system has serious consequences on the lives of inmates: episodes of self-harm occur daily and nine people have died in the last three years. The documentary investigates some of these deaths, the relationship between the State – which is supposed to insure the respect of human rights inside the centers – and the private companies in charge, showing pictures from inside thanks to undercover cameras.
The documentary has been realized with the support of Premio Roberto Morrione.