I am often in agreement with Romano Prodi, but it is well known, that I don’t agree with him on the pardon. The President of the Council, in response to a citizen, made the following statement about the pardon law:

“…. It was a necessary act of clemency towards thousands of desperate people who have seen the reduction in their stay in a prison system near to collapse. I was aware at the time and I still am aware that this action was not politically convenient, but there are decisions that must be taken even though not politically convenient.
Aside I wonder where are those people who gave a united and whole hearted applause to Pope John Paul II when he asked not just for the pardon, but also an amnesty.”

The so-called desperate people are those who have broken the law and nothing more than the certainty of punishment avoids the repetition of the crime. The issue of the prison system being near to collapse cannot be an excuse and it is not an excuse.

The solutions to overcrowding are well known: speed up the trials, complete the prisons under construction and finally for those prisoners from outside the European Union, make them serve their sentences in their own countries. The pardon has not been politically convenient, in that, Prodi is right.
This is for a simple reason: the large majority of the Italians were not in agreement. Thus I believe that the pardon represents an arrogant action by Parliament in relation to the citizens who were ignored.

Finally the reference to Pope John Paul II. Here is the piece that is referred to:

“…. Without compromising the necessary protection of the security of the citizens, the prison situation deserves attention. Prisoners often live in conditions of great overcrowding.
A sign of clemency towards them through a reduction of the sentence would be a clear demonstration of sensibility. It would be a way of stimulating them to a personal commitment to recovery in a positive way when they are reinserted into society.
The State and the Church are two separate entities and charity is a private affair, while the rule of law is the essential basis for the existence of the State. Having said that, the Pope talked about recovery and reinsertion into society.
How can you talk about recovery and reinsertion into society for those who are without work, without a home, without assistance, without anything? With only the possibility to commit further acts of delinquency in order to survive?
The pardon has been useful only to the crafty ones in the neighbourhood and to the little folk of Parliament. I’ll write about them soon.