without the possibility of early release, the Committee reiterates its serious reservations about the very concept according to which life-sentenced prisoners are considered once and for all to be a permanent threat to the community and are deprived of any hope of being granted release. In the CPT’s opinion, it is inhuman to imprison a person for life without any realistic hope of release. On a positive note, the CPT approves of the decline in the use of means of restraint (handcufs, ankle-cufs and body-belts) in the context of movement of prisoners within prisons, as compared with the 2009 visit. Nevertheless, it remains critical of their regular application to certain groups of prisoners which is excessive in practice, and recommends that steps be taken to further reduce their use. Report and response published in April 2014, CPT/Inf (2014) 13 and CPT/Inf (2014) 14 Report on the periodic visit to Italy in May 2012 and response of the Italian authorities (police ill-treatment, prison overcrowding, “41-bis” regime, judicial psychiatric hospitals) 64. In its report, the CPT refers to a number of allegations of physical illtreatment and/or excessive use of force by State Police and Carabinieri ofcers in particular in the Milan area. For example, an examination of the medical records at Milan-San Vittore Prison revealed that, during the two months preceding the visit, 18 persons who had been admitted to the prison with visible injuries had indicated to the prison doctor that the injuries resulted from ill-treatment by law enforcement ofcials. Nevertheless, no action had been taken by the judicial authorities to pursue the law enforcement ofcials who had allegedly perpetrated this ill-treatment because the competent supervisory judge only informed the prosecutor’s ofce if the prognosis for the recovery of the injuries in question was estimated by the prison doctor to exceed 20 days. The CPT recommends that the relevant provision of the Penal Code be amended so that the 20-day threshold set out in Section 582 of the Penal Code no longer applies in such cases. In their response, the Italian authorities refer to the eforts invested in order to encourage prison doctors visiting newly admitted prisoners to submit a more rigorous description of injuries when dealing with allegations of ill-treatment inficted by law enforcement ofcials. 65. As regards material conditions of detention in prisons, the report describes a varied picture at the diferent establishments visited. While the state of repair, hygiene and access to natural light at Florence-Sollicciano, Vicenza and some parts of Bari Prison were adequate, the situation left much to be desired at Palermo-Ucciardone Prison where the level of hygiene was very poor, prisoners were not provided with personal hygiene products and the windows were covered with metal shutters which reduced access to natural light to a minimum. In terms of prison overcrowding, the most severe conditions were observed at Bari Prison where cells measuring less than 20 m2 were accommodating up to eleven prisoners. Cramped conditions were also found at Palermo-Ucciardone Prison where it was not uncommon to observe cells measuring 22m2 accommodating up to eight prisoners. The Italian authorities in their response focus extensively on the eforts invested to increase the overall capacity of the prison estate as well as to promote a Publication highlights ► Page 33