Residents of Sardinia are fiercely opposing Italian government plans to transfer hundreds of high-security mafia prisoners to the island, fearing it will become a modern-day Devil's Island. The proposal by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration aims to concentrate 750 of Italy's most dangerous criminals—including mafiosi, killers, and domestic terrorists—in a few dedicated facilities, with Sardinia ordered to house a third of them.
The popular tourist destination, which welcomed a record 4.5 million visitors in 2024, would host the inmates in three jails, including one in its capital, Cagliari. Locals worry the move will make Sardinia more dangerous and attract criminals' families and associates, who might recruit from the island's low-paid and unemployed population.
Regional governor Alessandra Todde has joined protests in Cagliari, stating: 'Sardinia does not intend to become the Cayenne of Italy. We have always done our bit in the fight against the mafia and organised crime, but we cannot accept such an unfair distribution.' She warned that the prisoners, from groups like the 'Ndrangheta and Camorra, would have a profound impact on the island.
Opposition lawmaker Silvio Lai cautioned that a mafia foothold in less developed areas like Nuoro could affect tourist hotels and resorts. 'Weak economies can be infiltrated easily, and Nuoro is about an hour's drive from the Costa Smeralda,' he said. Maria Cristina Ornano, head of the sentence enforcement tribunal in Cagliari, added: 'Once organised crime takes root here, we will not be able to get rid of it.'
The government insists the plan poses no safety risk. Justice Undersecretary Andrea Demmastro Delle Vedove told regional officers in December that it would ensure greater national security and make prisons safer by deploying specialist guard units.
