Italian police on Monday arrested 13 prison guards accused of violent behaviour towards inmates at a juvenile institution in Milan, while eight other guards were suspended.
The arrests at the "Cesare Beccaria" prison on the outskirts of the city in northern Italy followed an investigation into crimes against youngsters allegedly committed since 2022, police said in a statement.
They include "complicity in the crime of torture... aggravated by abuse of power", "complicity in the crime of causing injury to minors... aggravated by abuse of power" and one case of "attempted sexual violence".
Investigators used wiretaps and footage from the prison's internal security cameras, as well as speaking to former inmates, the statement said.
Italy's prisons suffer from underfunding and overcrowding.
As of January, they housed more than 60,300 inmates in facilities designed for a total of 47,300, according to the country's prison watchdog.
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