Inmate Testifies Against Exaggerated Claims of Abuse in Prison Violence Case

Some inmates have reported receiving more blows than they actually had and have identified more officers as culprits than those who had actually beaten them. This was stated by witness Cipriano Cioffo, an inmate, during the hearing of the maxi-trial on the violence committed by prison officers in the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere on April 6, 2020. Cioffo - detained in Carinola for murder - is part of the group of three prisoners who, despite having been victims of the beatings, refused to testify against the officers responsible for the violence. The testimony of Cioffo was in contrast to that of the other inmate-victims heard so far. Answering the questions of lawyer Angelo Raucci, defender of a defendant, Cioffo indeed spoke of exaggerated statements about the injuries and the officers responsible. To the lawyer of some defendants, Carlo De Stavola, he instead replied, contrary to what was stated by other witnesses, "that the evening of April 6th the food arrived and the blonde nurse passed by with the medicines". Cioffo also recalled not agreeing with the inmates who promoted the protests on April 5th, at least in terms of the methods used. "They were threatening and insulting, and were aggressive towards us, towards the officers and Commissioner Costanzo who intervened to bring calm".