The Queen of Heaven jail
Prisoners walk through a yard of Rome's historic Regina Coeli, or Queen of Heaven jail - an appealing name for an institution that, in reality, is a very long way from paradise.
Inmates at the prison have found themselves living in spaces stuffed well beyond capacity, in some cases with three prisoners crowded into a cell meant for just one. The issue is part of a chronic problem with overcrowding in jails across Italy, which has affected the country for years.
People walk through the historic Queen of Heaven jail, which was first constructed as a monastery alongside the Tiber River in the 17th century and converted into a prison in 1881 after the unification of Italy.
Prisoners stand in front of a window at the prison, where former public areas such as classrooms have been converted into makeshift cells for 10 inmates sharing one toilet.
A prisoner puts his arm through the door of his cell at the jail, which is primarily a remand centre to detain people immediately after their arrest.
Cesare Cececotto, who has been in Regina Coeli for two years, stands inside his cell. "There are so many people awaiting trial for six, seven, eight months," he said.
Inmates sit together in a cramped room.
A prisoner at the jail sits in his cell.
