National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Melillo said on Tuesday that a probe in Palermo allegedly revealing that jailed Cosa Nostra bosses were able to coordinate criminal activities from prison has shown the extreme weakness of the high-security penitentiary system which is subjected to the control of criminal organizations.
    "Alarming data emerged from this extraordinary investigations by the State Attorney's Office in Palermo: the extreme weakness of the high-security penitentiary circuit which should contain the danger posed by Mafia members subjected to the 41 bis" system, said Melillo.
    The prison regime provides for near-total isolation reserved for mafia bosses and other offenders deemed to be highly dangerous.
    "The investigation in Palermo clearly shows, confirming what has emerged from other investigative contexts, that the high-security system is subjected to the dominance of crime", Melillo told a press conference after 181 people were arrested as part of the huge anti-Mafia operation in Palermo.
    "It is a delicate theme that must open deep reflection", he added.
    Police in the Sicilian city on Tuesday arrested 181 suspected Cosa Nostra members in relation to a probe by investigators in Palermo into the Mafia syndicate's attempt to rebuild in the area after a series of clampdowns over recent years landed thousands of people in jail.
    In particular, the probe revealed that jailed Mafia bosses have been able to continue to manage their criminal activities, including drug trafficking and meetings of mobsters, from prison thanks to micro-SIM cards and encrypted mobile phones illegally smuggled into their cells.
    The parliamentary anti-mafia commission said Tuesday it was working on tightening the 41 bis regime even further, introducing "more restrictive measures" against convicted mafiosi and terrorists.
   

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