The number of detainees in Italian prisons has been increasing considerably during last year, after a downwards trend following an ECHR judgment against the state for its overcrowded facilities. The number of detainees in March reached 56,289 (with 50,211 places formally considered as available, but only 45,509 actually available, as some prisons have areas that are closed or unusable). Antigone warns that this troubling trend towards overcrowding is already causing serious issues: the number of suicides has increased, as has the number of sick detainees.