Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - 9 Aug 95
Turin's "AIDS bandits" have pulled off a series of bank heists this summer, hitting again on Friday. As in the previous robberies, the suspects have been released under a law that bans the jailing of people ailing from the virus that causes AIDS.
The series of robberies illustrates how the attempt at compassion by lawmakers was warped by a lack of planning, funds and coordination.
Turin prosecutors have asked the Constitutional Court for a ruling on the 1993 law, and some legislators promise to seek immediate revisions.
Raffaele Costa, head of a conservative parliamentary bloc, said reforms will be demanded at a Cabinet meeting Aug. 21.
"The government can and must, by decree, confront and resolve this problem," Costa said Wednesday. "Certainly there are people who will take advantage of their condition to commit crimes."
The Justice Ministry said the law will be modified, but did not give details of possible changes.
The law -- part of an overall rights initiative -- mandated hospital beds rather than prison cells for AIDS- and HIV-infected criminals and suspects whose immune systems show deterioration. Its supporters appealed for a humanitarian gesture toward people suffering from an incurable illness.
Lawmakers approved a funding request for more than 4,600 beds -- enough to handle all the AIDS and HIV-infected inmates in Italy at the time. So far, however, none of the special care facilities has been built, activists claim. Inmates who are still healthy remain in jail. Others were placed in regular hospital wards, but many more were released.
More than 3,000 inmates and suspects have been freed under the law, the Justice Ministry reported. In Turin, at least 25 HIV-infected people have been arrested and released this year. But it took the revolving-door experiences of the Turin gang to point out the law's failings.
Turin prosecutors have asked for the indictment of Sergio Magnis and eight alleged accomplices for bank robberies around the northern city dating back to late last year. After each capture, they were released.
Magnis and two others were arrested after Friday's robbery in Collegno outside Turin. They were let go after about an hour. Last month, they were filmed by security cameras robbing a Turin bank.
Police claim the gang has taken $155,000 -- most of which has not been recovered.
The alleged gang members say crime is the only way to survive.
"We have been described as the AIDS bandits, the Untouchables, the living dead," Magnis, 29, told reporters Tuesday. "In reality, we are not criminals."
An alleged accomplice, Ferdinando Attanasio, 37, claimed they would halt the robberies if they could find work. "We rob because we are forced to -- to eat, to stay alive with our problem," he said.
Activists worry that the Turin case will pressure authorities to scrap the AIDS incarceration ban.
"If a law is just and humane but not given a chance to function it is bound to fail," said Rev. Luigi Ciotti, director of an AIDS assistance group in Turin.
Copyright 1995/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
950809
AP950809
Copyright © 1995 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1995. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1995. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .