Giorgio Abonante
Giorgio Abonante is the mayor of Alessandria. In October 2026 he finds himself at the centre of an institutional clash with the Ministry of Justice following the decision to turn the city's San Michele prison into one of the main Piedmontese hubs for holding prisoners subject to the special 41-bis regime.[1][2]
Operation Klepsydra
On 24 October 2026 the operation codenamed «Klepsydra» begins, carried out by the Gruppo Operativo Mobile (Mobile Operational Group) of the prison police, with the transfer of the first 70 prisoners subject to the 41-bis regime to the San Michele prison. The plan, ordered by the Ministry of Justice as part of the national reorganisation of the harsh prison regime, envisages bringing the Alessandria facility up to holding as many as 200 prisoners, overtaking the special sections of Cuneo and Novara. On the eve of the transfers the prison held just 41 ordinary prisoners against more than 260 available places. Strict confidentiality surrounds the identity of the transferred prisoners, while nationally the 41-bis regime applies to around 730 people, including more than 300 serving a non-parolable life sentence (ergastolo ostativo).[1][2][3]
The mayor's objection
Giorgio Abonante criticises the government's initiative on his social media channels, lamenting the lack of consultation with the City of Alessandria. According to the mayor, the reorganisation risks dismantling more than forty years of vocational training and social reintegration programmes developed in the prison with staff, cooperatives and the local third sector. The mayor's position is shared by the association Antigone and other organisations defending prisoners' rights, which denounce the scaling-back of rehabilitation activities.[1]
Union reactions
The operation is accompanied by alarm from prison police unions. Luciano Giglio, of the Unione Sindacati di Polizia Penitenziaria (Prison Police Trade Union), denounces dilapidated facilities and insufficient staff to manage a large number of high-risk prisoners. Justice Undersecretary Alberto Balboni defended the government's choice, stating that «in prisons, the State is in command».[2]
Related articles: Operation «Klepsydra»: San Michele prison in Alessandria becomes Piedmont's hub for article 41 bis
Sources
- Fino a 150 mafiosi in più nel carcere di San Michele ad Alessandria: la contestazione del sindaco — Quotidiano Piemontese, 25 October 2026
- Alessandria, arrivano i boss mafiosi al carcere di San Michele: scatta l'operazione «Klepsydra», è allarme sicurezza — CronacaQui Torino, 25 October 2026
- Carcere duro, Alessandria San Michele diventa il polo piemontese del 41 bis: saranno in 200 — CronacaQui Torino, 25 October 2026