Italy just added a whole new meaning to “conjugal rights.” On Friday, the country’s first-ever official sex room in a prison swung open its door — quite literally — allowing an inmate in Umbria to spend some private time with his partner in a specially prepared suite.
This decision follows a Constitutional Court ruling that granted inmates the right to “intimate meetings” with their spouses or long-term partners, no guards peeking in, news agency Reuters reported.
The first rendezvous took place at a prison in Terni and, according to Giuseppe Caforio, Umbria’s ombudsman for prisoners’ rights, it all went off without a hitch. “We are happy because everything went smoothly,” he told the ANSA news agency, adding that the utmost privacy was maintained. “A sort of experiment went well and in the next few days there will be other meetings.”
The justice ministry has laid down guidelines: approved inmates get access to a room with a bed and toilet for up to two hours. The door must remain unlocked, allowing guards to step in if absolutely necessary.
Italy is actually playing catch-up — countries like France, Spain, Germany, and Sweden have long allowed conjugal visits. Still, it’s a pretty bold move for a prison system that’s often in the news for all the wrong reasons. With overcrowding rates among Europe’s worst and a spike in inmate suicides, some hope this measure might offer a small spark of humanity — and perhaps even happiness — in an otherwise bleak setting.
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