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Big 12: TCU Horned Frogs
Mailbag: 2015 Big 12 race, QB battles, format changes
On to the 'bag:
@Jake_Trotter who would be your Top 5 in Big12 football going into next year?— Chuck (@cbilly126) December 19, 2014
@Jake_Trotter: My top five, as of December 19, would be 1) TCU, 2) Baylor, 3) Oklahoma, 4) Texas, 5) Oklahoma State. But a lot can and will change between now and the preseason that could shake up this top five.
@Jake_Trotter are we any closer to adding 2 more teams and a championship game?— Dwayne Chamberlain (@dtchamberlain) December 19, 2014
Trotter: Closer? Maybe. Close? No. The only change I see happening is the league clarifying its goofy One True Champion rule, and actually declaring a single champion for playoff purposes. There is a chance the conference could apply for a waiver to hold a championship game with 10 teams. But in talking to people around the league, I don't envision the Big 12 adding such a game, at least for next season.
@Jake_Trotter when will BYU will be invited possibly?— Martin borg (@Martyaborg) December 19, 2014
Trotter: No time soon. The Big 12 still has no plans to expand. If it did, BYU would obviously be in the picture. But again, the Big 12 is not adding teams right now.
@Jake_Trotter will DGB come back to OU or leave for the NFL?— Jon Greene (@JonGreene9) December 19, 2014
Trotter: The decision remains up in the air, but if I had to bet, I would put my money on Dorial Green-Beckham going to the NFL. The decision to transfer to Oklahoma was always about playing this season, not sitting out and playing in 2015. That could still happen. But as a likely Day 1 or Day 2 pick, I see him declaring for the draft.
@Jake_Trotter for 2015, best guess starting QB at WVU next year and Rushell Shell, plus or minus 1,000 yards rushing?— Bryan Shaw (@BGoGolf) December 19, 2014
Trotter: I could see Rushel Shell breaking the 1,000-yard barrier. With a new quarterback, the Mountaineers could pound the ball a little more next season. As for who the quarterback will be, Skyler Howard has generated momentum with the way he performed the last two games, but I still favor William Crest. There was a reason Crest was the No. 2 quarterback as a true freshman coming out of fall camp. Assuming he is healthy and can go through spring ball, Crest would still be my pick to win the job for 2015.
@Jake_Trotter which bowl wins would do the most to amp up the Big12's national perception? Top-tier, middle-tier, or low-tier?— Diego De Valdenebro (@Diegobear) December 19, 2014
Trotter: The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Baylor beating Michigan State and TCU handling Ole Miss would do the most for the Big 12's national perception. It certainly wouldn't hurt if the other Big 12 teams win, too. But a sweep in the two New Year's Six bowls is what will count most toward 2015 perception of the conference.
@Jake_Trotter what does Stidham committing to Baylor mean for Chad President? Does he open his commitment back up?— Jim Bell (@Bell4Jim) December 19, 2014
Trotter: Chad President has indicated that he's sticking with Baylor. President also has the ability to play other positions, too, if he gets beat out by Jarrett Stidham. So I would guess he stays pledged to Baylor. By the way, not many better surnames out there than "President."
@Jake_Trotter who is starting at quarterback for Baylor next year?— Nate Earl (@nate_earl) December 19, 2014
Trotter: I think it's Seth Russell, at least to start out. Russell has the experience edge both on the field and with reps operating the Baylor offense. Russell struggled a bit in the Texas Tech game, which gives me pause. But he has also had a bunch of good moments as Bryce Petty's backup the past two years.
@Jake_Trotter do you think K-State will have to fight those Oklahoma schools for Lockett's younger brothers?— Matt 'Emaw' Stafford (@mstaffrd) December 19, 2014
Trotter: No. Kansas State has first dibs on any Lockett from now until the end of time.
@jake_trotter Who is taller: Art Briles or Paul Rhoads?— Drew (@Dlew56) December 19, 2014
Trotter: This is probably the most random question in this mailbag's history. But I believe the answer is Paul Rhoads. Someone also provided photographic evidence:
@SabiNation @Dlew56 @Jake_Trotter pic.twitter.com/mSGTnbORUd— Travis (@HAVRHLL) December 19, 2014
Trotter: Thanks for all the questions, guys. Sorry I couldn't include all of them. I hope everyone has a great weekend..
Big 12 bowl predictions
Why West Virginia will win: Quarterback Clint Trickett has been cleared for the bowl. Trickett struggled a bit late in the season but was a still a major factor in the Mountaineers' midseason run. He and Kevin White should have their way against an Aggies defense that got lit multiple times this season. West Virginia 38, Texas A&M 29 -- Trotter
Why Texas A&M will win: The Aggies will get their house in order after shaking up their coaching staff and give West Virginia all it can handle. Clint Trickett's status can swing this game, of course, but doesn't a showdown between Kevin Sumlin and Dana Holgorsen have to be decided by who scores last? Texas A&M 35, West Virginia 28 — Olson
Russell Athletic Bowl
Why Oklahoma will win: While Clemson will be without dynamic freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson for the game, OU welcomes Trevor Knight back under center. Combined with Samaje Perine in the backfield, that should be enough for OU to eke out a win. Oklahoma 28, Clemson 21 -- Chatmon
Why Clemson will win: The Oklahoma passing game was a mess the last month of the season. Trevor Knight returning will help, but even when Knight was healthy, the passing attack was uneven. Former Sooners coordinator Brent Venables directs Clemson's pass defense, which is No. 3 nationally. That means the pressure will be on Samaje Perine (coming off an ankle injury) to shoulder the offensive load. Clemson is not great offensively, but I'm not confident the Sooners will be able to score enough in this one. Clemson 21, Oklahoma 17 -- Trotter
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
Why Texas will win: The Longhorns' defensive line is full of talent and will be ready and well-equipped to handle the physical nature of the Razorbacks' offense. Texas 27, Arkansas 17 -- Chatmon
Why Arkansas will win: Strength on strength will be on display in this matchup, with the big boys on the Arkansas offensive line squaring off against Malcom Brown and Texas' menacing front. But I have a little more confidence in the Hogs to score points than the Longhorns, who were wildly inconsistent at times with young Tyrone Swoopes at QB. Arkansas 20, Texas 14 -- Trotter
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Why TCU will win: You don't get the sense there will be a letdown factor with this team after it missed the College Football Playoff. Gary Patterson has worked too hard on building TCU's mentality to allow a slipup now. The Horned Frogs swing this with a fourth-quarter turnover from Bo Wallace. TCU 35, Ole Miss 31 -- Olson
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Why Baylor will win: The Bears are bummed they didn't make the playoff, but they also realize this is an opportunity to atone for last season's Fiesta Bowl fiasco. Michigan State has a great defense with a good quarterback. But the Spartans couldn't hang against all of Oregon's offensive firepower early in the season and will succumb to Bryce Petty & Co., too. Baylor 42, Michigan State 34 -- Trotter
Valero Alamo Bowl
Why Kansas State will win: This is a sneaky great matchup, though I still can't figure out why Stanford made it look so easy against the Bruins in the regular-season finale. The last hurrah for Jake Waters, and Tyler Lockett will be as deadly efficient and effective as usual. Kansas State 31, UCLA 27 -- Olson
Why UCLA will win: Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley entered the season as a Heisman candidate but stumbled in UCLA's final game. He should rebound and cause all kinds of problems for K-State's defense with his feet and his arm. UCLA 31, Kansas State 27 -- Chatmon
TicketCity Cactus Bowl
Why Oklahoma State will win: There was no reason to believe the Cowboys could win Bedlam, yet they did and became bowl eligible. Mason Rudolph looks like the real deal, and this young Cowboys team has plenty of momentum. Oklahoma State 31, Washington 30 — Chatmon
Why Washington will win: The Huskies lost to every ranked team they faced in Pac-12 play. Until Bedlam, the same was true of OSU in the Big 12. I'm a Mason Rudolph believer, but I like the UW defense a bit more. Washington 28, Oklahoma State 17 -- Olson
Season records: Trotter 67-8, Chatmon 66-9, Olson 64-11.
Big 12 unsung heroes
Yet each team had players who made a significant impact on their teams that went largely unnoticed as teammates grabbed the headlines. With the help of SIDs around the conference, here's a closer look at the Big 12's unsung heroes during the 2014 season:
Baylor LB/S Collin Brence: A former walk-on, Brence started every game for Baylor, finishing with 49 tackles and adding seven hurries, 3.5 tackles for loss and one interception. On a defense with stars like Shawn Oakman, Andrew Billings and Orion Stewart, Brence was quietly a key contributor as the Bears won a second-straight Big 12 title.
Iowa State WR D'Vario Montgomery: The sophomore transfer from South Florida emerged as the Cyclones' best receiving threat during the home stretch of the season. Montgomery had 41 receptions for 564 yards and two touchdowns in ISU's final seven games. His 605 receiving yards led the team and his 13.75 yards per catch average was tops among Cyclones with at least 10 receptions.
Kansas C Joe Gibson: The redshirt freshman took over starting center duties midway through the season and brought solidarity to the Jayhawks' interior line. Making QB Michael Cummings the starter and Eric Kiesau the playcaller were among the noted changes that paid off during Clint Bowen's time as interim coach but Gibson's role was just as important.
Kansas State DT Travis Britz: A valuable part of K-State's defense, Britz was a key member of one of the Big 12's top defenses before missing the final two games with an injury. The junior provided an anchor for Bill Snyder's squad with 27 tackles including five tackles for loss and three sacks.
Oklahoma FB Aaron Ripkowski: Samaje Perine doesn't become the Big 12's best freshman without the help of the former walk-on fullback. Ripkowski was a driving force behind the Sooners' running success as teams set out to stop the run yet still failed against the crimson and cream. Ripkowski's aggressive nature, durability and stellar blocking helped OU rank No. 1 in the Big 12 in nearly every rushing category.
Oklahoma State DT Ofa Hautau: Emmanuel Ogbah grabbed Big 12 defensive lineman of the year honors but Hautau played a key role in OSU's defensive line. His 28 tackles including 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks don't speak to the value he brought to the table in the interior of the Pokes' defense.
Texas TE Geoff Swaim: The senior brought a consistent physical presence to the Longhorns' running game while the offensive line went through injuries, changes and uncertainty for much of the year. He also played a critical role on the Longhorns' special-teams units.
TCU DT Davion Pierson: While Chucky Hunter got the headlines, Pierson was just as good along the Horned Frogs' defensive interior. The junior was disruptive with 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks for TCU while giving the Horned Frogs arguably the Big 12's top defensive tackle duo.
Texas Tech HB DeAndre Washington: It's unusual to consider Washington unsung but he was that good for the Red Raiders in 2014. There was a direct correlation between Washington's production and Tech's win total. He rushed for 100 yards in three of Tech's four wins and he joined Perine and BU's Shock Linwood as the only Big 12 running backs to surpass 1,000 rushing yards this season.
West Virginia LB Wes Tonkery: The senior brought stability to the Mountaineers defense, finishing with 62 tackles as WVU's improved defense helped Dana Holgorsen's squad return to a bowl game after a one-year hiatus. Tonkery also added eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Big bowl season would boost Big 12 playoff hopes for 2015
Though the Big 12 fell short in this season's battle for the playoff, there will be another one to wage in 2015. The conference can take steps to ensure it doesn't get left out again next season, notably by crafting a way to finally crown only One True Champion. But the Big 12 can also send a 2015 message to the playoff selection committee through a triumphant 2014 bowl season.
Though out of the playoff, the Big 12 is hardly devoid of high-profile matchups against name teams this bowl season. And a successful bowl record would cement national perception of the strength and depth of the Big 12 while setting the conference up for a run at the playoff next season.
"It won't help us this year," said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. "But it would help for next year."
That starts with conference co-champs Baylor and TCU, which play in the prestigious New Year's Six bowls against opponents that were ranked in the top 10 for most of the season.
The Bears will face Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The defensive-minded Spartans went 10-2, with their only two losses coming against playoff teams Oregon and Ohio State. Michigan State won the Big Ten last season, and boasts the nation's seventh-ranked defense.
"There's a statement to be made just for us nationwide," said Baylor safety Orion Stewart. "To show (the nation) that we really have one of the best programs in the country."
The same way the Bears' loss to Central Florida in the Fiesta Bowl last season hurt Baylor's standing, a win against Michigan State would solidify the Bears as a title contender again in 2015, even without quarterback Bryce Petty. Especially if the Bears can light up the scoreboard against Michigan State, which surrendered more than 31 points just twice all season (to the Ducks and Buckeyes).
"We're playing one of the greatest teams in America, Michigan State," said Baylor coach Art Briles. "There have been four football programs that have played in back-to-back BCS (level) games; you're talking to one of them (Baylor) and Michigan State is one of them, (along with) Florida State and Alabama. That's pretty good company in my book."
TCU will also be in good company in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. The playoff committee had Ole Miss in the top four in its first two playoff rankings before the Rebels stumbled against LSU and Auburn in back-to-back weeks. Still, Ole Miss bounced back to hammer fourth-ranked Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl to claim a spot in a New Year's Six bowl. Like Michigan State, Ole Miss features one of the best defenses in the country, with a unit that leads the nation in scoring defense with an average allowance of just 13.8 points per game. The Rebels flashed how dynamic they can be when they downed Alabama early in the season.
"(Our team) wanted to play somebody that was a caliber of a top-five team," said TCU coach Patterson, "and we feel like Ole Miss is that team."
In 2015, TCU will bring back quarterback Trevone Boykin and nine other offensive starters, meaning the Horned Frogs could be primed for another run at the playoff next season. A victory against a quality SEC West opponent would position TCU well for the start of 2015. And a Big 12 sweep in the Cotton and Peach bowls against top-10 competition would reaffirm that the best of the Big 12 can play with anyone in the country.
"Ole Miss is a team that was as high as third in the nation, that played at a very high level, that could have been in the playoffs, lost a couple heartbreakers," Patterson said. "We feel like this is a playoff game."
The two New Year's Six bowls, however, aren't the only opportunities for the Big 12 to deliver statements.
In the Valero Alamo Bowl, Kansas State meets UCLA, a team that was in playoff contention until late in the season. Oklahoma takes on ACC power Clemson and college football's No. 1-ranked total defense in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
In the Autozone Liberty Bowl and Advocare V100 Texas Bowl, West Virginia and Texas have a chance to land wins against SEC West opponents Texas A&M and Arkansas, respectively.
Even Oklahoma State takes on a talented Washington team in the TicketCity Cactus Bowl.
Sure, there are no easy bowl games for the Big 12. But every win will count toward forging the league's reputation for 2015.
"I was shocked (the Big 12 was left out of the playoff) based on the strength of this league from top to bottom," Gundy said. "We can't have this many good football teams in this league and not get one in the top four. We can't allow that to happen again."
The Big 12 can take steps off the field to ensure it doesn't happen.
But in the meantime, the Big 12 can take some big steps on the field this bowl season, too.
Poll: Big 12's next step?
Now, we're putting you in charge of the Big 12's destiny.
With 10 teams and no championship game, the league finds itself at a disadvantage on Championship Saturday. The names of several schools have been thrown into the conversation as people debate which teams could help the Big 12's cause in the future. Should the Big 12 consider expansion?
The Big 12 was left with the impression that a conference title game would have helped the case of Baylor or TCU, but expansion isn't the only option. If the NCAA allows the Big 12 to play a conference championship game with just 10 teams, it could be a clear step toward solving the problem without adding additional schools with more mouths to feed at the money table.
Expansion and adding a championship game are significant changes. Yet, maybe significant change is not needed. The answer could be as simple as crowning a single champion. That's right ... bye, bye co-champions. If there is one clear winner of the Big 12 Conference, it removes any doubt about a true champion in the eyes of the committee. And, by the way, actually fits the conference's moniker of "One True Champion".
Or is it all an overreaction? The Big 12 was one or two upsets away from having two teams in the top four, which would have been a best-case scenario for the conference. The option to stand pat and do nothing could be considered. Just because things didn't work out in the Big 12's favor during Year 1 of the College Football Playoff doesn't necessarily mean the conference must react immediately and make changes.
Considering the current state of the conference, what would you do? What changes would you make? Vote in our poll and comment below.
Big 12 morning links
- West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, who also serves on the College Football Playoff selection committee, is leaving his post with the Mountaineers and joining the NCAA. Luck will move into a position that will basically make him the No. 2 in command behind NCAA president Mark Emmert. The move makes sense for the NCAA. Luck's background as an athletic director and father of a former star college player will help the NCAA repair some of the disconnect with its member schools. The move also makes sense for Luck, who will be in Indianapolis, the same city where his son Andrew quarterbacks the Colts. This leaves West Virginia in search of an athletic director, and the Big 12 looking for a replacement to represent the conference on the playoff committee. More on that on the blog later this morning.
- The bond between TCU and football coach Gary Patterson is as peachy as ever, writes Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Patterson, who was virtually everyone's national coach of the year this season, agreed to an extension this week with TCU through the end of the decade. LeBreton poses the question whether Patterson would ever leave TCU? There's no doubt Patterson would and will have options. But as LeBreton notes, Patterson and TCU have forged a special bond that will be hard to break. And with QB Trevone Boykin and nine other offensive starters back, TCU is going to be in the playoff picture again in 2015. The reasons are many for Patterson to stay.
- The Lawrence Journal-World's Tom Keegan thinks new Kansas coach David Beaty should target Sonny Cumbie as his offensive coordinator. I couldn't agree more. Cumbie would be a tremendous hire for Beaty. Thanks in part to Cumbie's tutelage, Trevone Boykin went from part-time receiver to Heisman contending quarterback. The question is, would Cumbie take the job? Doug Meacham is the primary play-caller at TCU. But as an assistant on a team that is going to be loaded again next year, Cumbie can afford to be patient. One thing is certain: the Jayhawks will have to fork over the dough to get Cumbie to think about leaving Fort Worth.
- There were several interesting tidbits to come out of Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops' pre-bowl news conference Wednesday. Trevor Knight will definitely be the starter at quarterback, and it's still up in the air whether wideout Dorial Green-Beckham will be with the team in 2015 or declare for the NFL draft. Stoops added that he expects linebacker Frank Shannon to rejoin the team in 2015, but he wasn't as committal on whether running back Joe Mixon will be. Shannon and Mixon were both suspended for the 2014 season for alleged misconduct against women.
- Wide receiver Tyler Lockett has become the first four-time All-American in Kansas State history. Lockett was a Football Writers and Coaches first-teamer and an AP and Walter Camp second-teamer, making him a consensus All-American. Lockett was also a first-team ESPN All-American. Not sure there's anything more we can write about Lockett here. He'll go down as one of the finest and most respected players in Big 12 history. Too bad we all only get more one opportunity to watch him in a K-State uniform.
Big 12 players on FWAA All-American team
First team
OT: Spencer Drango, Baylor
DT: Malcom Brown, Texas
PR: Tyler Lockett, Kansas State
KR: Mario Alford, West VIrginia
Second team
QB: Trevone Boykin, TCU
RB: Samaje Perine, Oklahoma
WR: Kevin White, West Virginia
LB: Jordan Hicks, Texas
Big 12 top running games: Part I
The Big 12 used to be a quarterback's league. Now most teams lean on their running games to carry them to success. With the help of ESPN Stats & Information, let's take a closer look at the Big 12's best running games in several unique categories.
Rushing yards before contact
2. TCU, 1,808: The offensive line was easily the most overlooked contributors to the Horned Frogs' 11-1 season. Trevone Boykin, Aaron Green and B.J. Catalon proved to be among the Big 12's top playmakers but they wouldn't have had that space to show their talents without the offensive line. For example, 720 of Green's 854 rushing yards came before contact.
3. Baylor, 1,751: Much like TCU, the threat of a deep passing game helped create holes for Bears running backs along with their offensive line. Tackle Spencer Drango was exceptional and BU was able to overcome injuries to its offensive front to secure a place among the Big 12's best in yards before contact.
Rushing yards after contact
1. Oklahoma, 1,236: Thank you, Samaje Perine. OU's freshman running back played a significant role in the Sooners landing atop the list in this category with a Big 12-best 636 rushing yards after contact.
2. Baylor, 1,071: Shock Linwood isn't thought of as a physical runner in the mold of Perine, yet Linwood was the only other Big 12 running back with more than 400 rushing yards after contact. Linwood's 446 RYAC are a clear sign the sophomore has the ability to shrug off defenders and brings a tough running style at 5-foot-8, 200 pounds.
3. West Virginia, 961: Dana Holgorsen's teams aren't renowned for their run-game excellence, but his best offenses have usually had the ability to punish defenses on the ground if needed. Rushel Shell and Wendell Smallwood had solid years in the backfield with Smallwood finishing fifth in the Big 12 with 296 rushing yards after contact.
Between the tackles
1. Oklahoma, 276 carries for 1,908 yards, 20 touchdowns: OU didn't think twice about running the ball right at you behind its veteran offensive line. Perine led the Big 12 with 1,148 rushing yards between the tackles as the only Big 12 running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark.
2. Baylor, 355 carries for 1,773 yards, 23 touchdowns: The Bears' philosophy of making defenders account for the entire field includes the area between the tackles. While their speed and receivers force defenses to account for the perimeter, they won't hesitate to run the ball right at the defense.
3. West Virginia, 342 carries for 1,637 yards, 12 touchdowns: We knew the Mountaineers had a strong interior offensive line and a bevy of running backs before the season began. Shell proved to be a physical runner with 505 of his 766 rushing yards between the tackles.
Outside the tackles
1. Oklahoma, 242 carries for 1,362 yards, 19 touchdowns: The Sooners had success outside of tackles as well, with Perine ranking as the Big 12's best in this category. The true freshman had 431 rushing yards outside of the tackles, joining four Big 12 players with at least 300 rushing yards outside of the tackles this season.
2. Baylor, 213 carries for 1,154 yards, 18 touchdowns: Linwood was second in the Big 12 in this category as well but much closer to Perine in the other categories with 401 rushing yards outside of the tackles in 2014.
3. TCU, 192 carries for 1,048 yards, 16 touchdowns: The Horned Frogs tested defenses with their speed and open-field playmaking ability in a bunch of different ways from Boykin's ability to scramble to Green's exceptional quickness.
Zone-read plays
1. Oklahoma, 160 carries for 963 yards, nine touchdowns: Quarterbacks Trevor Knight and Cody Thomas used the zone-read to keep defenses honest with Perine in the backfield.
2. Baylor, 141 carries for 700 yards, nine touchdowns: Bryce Petty and Seth Russell combined for 102 carries this season as the Bears used the zone-read as another way to challenge defensive coordinators.
3. Kansas, 134 carries for 630 yards, six touchdowns: The Jayhawks had a pair of quarterbacks in Michael Cummings and Montell Cozart with the ability to keep defenses honest but neither guy changed games with their legs.
Big 12 Tuesday mailbag: Bob Bowlsby's risk
Jerry in Waco writes: I think a championship game at the end of a round-robin schedule is idiotic, redundant and unfair. Do you think the NCAA might allow the addition of a single school (eg, BYU) to the BIG 12 (BIG 11) while allowing retention of the round-robin format plus 3 nonconference games resulting in a 13-game schedule that the CFP committee seems to value?
BC: That seems unlikely Jerry. First I doubt the Big 12 will overreact and expand. Second, I don't see what a 13-game regular season schedule gets the Big 12. Third, I'm not sure I'd be making major changes to satisfy the committee. I just keep coming back to the fact Baylor beat a top-10 team by double digits on the final day of the season and it didn't seem to matter. So why would a conference title game change that scenario? I really don't see the need for any major overreaction, to be honest. But, an overall reassessment of the tiebreaker and different marketing plan is a must.
Rick in Grapevine, Texas, writes: What bothers me about the whole "Fire Bowlsby" campaign is this: If both Florida State and Ohio State had lost their championship games then both Baylor and TCU get into the College Football Playoff. BUT, if the Big 12 had named a conference champ instead of co-champs then TCU could well have been left out at 11-1 in favor of a non-champion from the SEC or elsewhere. The choice to present co-champions was a gamble, one that might still in the long-run work out more often than not (only time will tell). You don't fire people for taking calculated risks - unless of course you're the type of person who only puts their life's savings in the mattress because stocks, bonds and CDs are too risky!
BC: A great point by Rick and one that has been overlooked by many people. Since it didn't work out, people were quick to turn on Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby. But, as Rick says, the conference was fairly close to sneaking two teams into the top four. Yet since it didn't work out, Bowlsby took the hit for it. I can see his thinking and can't fault him for it in hindsight even though I might not have handled it that way myself. It is something people need to take into account though, Bowlsby had a plan and took a risk. It simply didn't work out.
Marshall in Santa Clara, California, writes: Am I the only one who thinks Marshall University would be a good fit for conference expansion along with BYU? WVU would get a natural rival in the conference and the football team would be decent. Revenue might be an issue, however.
BC: You might not be the only one but you won't have many friends on that boat with you trying to paddle it upstream. I don't see what Marshall would bring to the table that would put the Thundering Herd atop the priority list if/when the Big 12 decides to expand as regional ties with WVU simply are not enough.
Brandon in Pickens, West Virginia, writes: With the familiarity between the West Virginia and Texas A&M staffs, what are the chances that this is a lower-scoring game than expected?
BC: First off, great name. I'd say there is a decent chance because I'm expecting a lot of points and when I've expected plenty of points this season I've been wrong on several occasions. The question is, what is a lower-scoring game? I could see both teams scoring in the 30s and considering that a low-scoring contest. But I still lean toward a good chance of at least one team getting into the 50s during the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Pat Jones in Johnson City, Tennessee, writes: Do you think there is any way Bob Stoops is going to make changes in his coaching staff after Oklahoma's poor performance this year (on both sides of the ball) and if not, do you feel it is time for a change at Oklahoma? I feel Bob Stoops has lost his desire and now is just drawing a paycheck.
Brandon Chatmon: I don't see any major changes coming on the Sooners staff nor do I think Bob Stoops is going anywhere unless he wants to. I understand the angst and disappointment among Sooner Nation, but I don't think Stoops is the problem. There are some things the Sooners can do to change things but major change is not needed, silly mistakes led to OU's losses, even their blowout loss to Baylor. OU is close to returning to national prominence if it plays its cards right, but they need to take the steps to ensure another underachieving season is not in the cards.
Jason A. in Le Mars, Iowa, writes: In response to Chris J. from Houston's question in last Thursday's mailbag. Since Texas "tragically" lost in the national championship game after the 2009 season here are their records: 5-7, 8-5, 9-4, 8-5, 6-6. And then here are Nebraska's: 10-4, 9-4, 10-4, 9-4, 9-3. Becoming a team "like Nebraska" just might be an improvement over the last few seasons.
BC: No question here, just sheer facts from Jason A. And I like it. Nebraska is 57-23 since 2009, while Texas is 49-28. The dislike between the Huskers and the Longhorns will never get old, or less entertaining …
Roundtable: Big 12 team with most to gain in bowl
Chatmon: It has to be the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, when West Virginia and Texas A&M battle on Dec. 29. Lots of points, lots of fun, lots of Red Bull. Mentor Dana Holgorsen against understudy Jake Spavital in a battle of offensive gurus. And considering this is a meaningless bowl game, I'm not interested in seeing much defense. I'm also looking forward to seeing what Kevin White has in store for his final game in a West Virginia uniform, after his breakout senior season.
Olson: There will be points in the Liberty Bowl, and I'm excited to see what a healthier West Virginia team is capable of against Texas A&M. But for me, the choice is the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Big 12 vs. Pac-12 matchup is typically a nice one in terms of style, and K-State taking on a UCLA team that Texas almost defeated in September, in the final starts for both Brett Hundley and Jake Waters, will be a lot of fun to watch.
Trotter: I'm intrigued by the Russell Athletic Bowl, and the matchup of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables going up against his former boss at Oklahoma in Bob Stoops. Remember, Stoops brought in his brother to coach the defense in 2011, which ultimately prompted Venables to leave Oklahoma for Clemson. If Venables' Tigers shut down the Sooners, and Clemson runs the score up on Mike Stoops, it will serve as an indictment of where Oklahoma is as a program three years after that move was made.
With no one playing for a national championship, which Big 12 team has the most to gain in bowl season?
Chatmon: It has to be Baylor against Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. As good as the Bears have been during the past two seasons, some people still point to their Fiesta Bowl loss to Central Florida as a reason to doubt what Art Briles has built in Waco. Add the intrigue of proving the committee wrong and BU has plenty of motivation. It's also a chance for an impressive win against a quality Big Ten team in the race for conference bragging rights.
Olson: I agree with Brandon here. Some Baylor coaches I talked to before the season say their Fiesta Bowl loss to UCF was arguably the most frustrating of their time in Waco. A 12th win and ending a dream season with a BCS bowl win would've meant an awful lot to this program. They get a meaningful chance for a redo against a much better opponent in Michigan State.
Trotter: Baylor and TCU have the most to gain, because they have the chance to show they deserved to be in the playoff. But I'll throw another team into the discussion here in Texas. After finishing the season with a 48-10 home loss to TCU on Thanksgiving night, the Longhorns really need to bounce back against Arkansas in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl to set the tone for 2015. Next season is going to be a critical one for Charlie Strong and the Texas program. A win over a former rival like Arkansas would give the Longhorns the momentum they'll need heading into next season.
Who is the one Big 12 player you'll be focused during the bowls?
Chatmon: I can't wait to see what Trevone Boykin has in store for an Ole Miss defense full of playmakers in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. Boykin creates all kinds of problems for every defense with his ability to slither through open lanes like a running back yet frustrate defensive backs with his deep throws. The Rebels have held opposing quarterbacks to a 17.3 Adjusted QBR, ranking No. 2 among FBS teams behind Louisville, making this the best matchup of individual brilliance against team strength during the bowl season.
Olson: Giving Mason Rudolph a month of extra practice and all that post-Bedlam momentum is going to make for a fascinating performance in the TicketCity Cactus Bowl. Oklahoma State's rookie quarterback takes on Washington and a pass defense that ranked last in the Pac-12. I'll be a little surprised if he doesn't pick apart the Huskies on Jan. 2 and continue to build up hype for 2015. The confidence boost this team got from beating Oklahoma can't get squandered.
Trotter: Boykin and Rudolph are definitely players to watch. But I think I'll be most focused on Bryce Petty in his Baylor swan song facing one of the best defenses in the country in Michigan State. Quarterbacks the caliber of Petty -- on and off the field -- don't come along very often. I'll be curious to see how he goes out in a tough matchup in his final college game for the Bears.
Top sleeper commits: Big 12
Throughout our evaluations we come across many players who show promise and based off their upside for development or scheme fit are great additions to their college programs. Here are five headed to the Big 12:
Play that changed the Big 12 race
A back-and-forth, four-hour slugfest was tied at 58-58 with only 1:17 left. If Trevone Boykin completes his fourth-down fade to Josh Doctson, game over.
If he doesn't, well, game over.
No way could TCU stop the streaking Bears after they'd rallied back with 21 unanswered points in a matter of 10 minutes. So this was it. Convert here, set up the game-winning kick, take control of the Big 12.
But it wasn't that simple. With 1:20 to go, TCU had rushed its punt team onto the field and booted a kick, catching Baylor mid-substitution with 12 on the field. The ensuing penalty trimmed the Frogs' fourth-down distance from 8 yards to 3.
Gary Patterson had a decision to make with the ball now at the Baylor 45. He sent out Boykin and his offense to finish the job. Then Patterson called a timeout. Both his offense and his special teams unit huddled on the field. What now?
He chose the punt team, which lined up with wide splits and unclear intentions. The Horned Frogs looked to the sideline. Another timeout.
"We were going to try a punt fake," Patterson said after the game. "Even if we kicked it to the 5-yard line, I didn't know if we could have stopped them."
Three crucial minutes passed between the substitution penalty and TCU's eventual fourth-down pass -- more than enough time for Patterson, the eventual ESPN.com Coach of the Year, to weigh every option.
Going for it was the best one.
"If we get that play and we can go down and kick a field goal," Patterson said this month, "we wouldn't be talking about it."
To get that play, TCU sent out five receivers. Doctson lined up on the outside. Baylor corner Ryan Reid sneaked up to press him at the snap. It didn't matter. Boykin wasn't making a read here. Snap, step, turn and lob. He threw it up and let his 6-foot-4 go-to receiver go get it.
Reid's right arm was wrapped around him before the ball arrived, yet Doctson still got it in his mitts. If he'd snagged it right there, TCU is looking at first down near the 30. But the ball slipped off his left hand.
As Doctson was dragged to the ground, he still almost pulled the ball in with his outstretched right hand. Instead, it bounced off his fingertips and onto the turf.
Pass interference? They make a good case for it in Fort Worth. A smart no-call in which the refs let 'em play? You'll hear that argument in Waco. Art Briles says his defensive back did exactly what was expected.
"Our motto was keep it ugly," Briles said. "We were going to play tough. We were going to play ugly, and whatever happens, happens."
If a penalty happens, the Horned Frogs are set up perfectly for the game winner, maybe even a perfect regular season. Maybe that undefeated TCU team goes back to the Rose Bowl, takes care of business and plays for a national title in its own backyard.
Or maybe not. After all, it's just one play.
Big 12 morning links
- Grantland's Matt Hinton hands out demerits for this season including naming Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight the worst individual underachiever. On the one hand I'd agree with giving Knight that honor, er, demerit. Yet, as Hinton notes, the preseason expectations for Knight were way out of control. So of course he failed to meet those lofty expectations. I felt like Davis Webb was the Big 12's second-best quarterback behind Bryce Petty heading into the season, mainly because Knight only finished three of the five games he started in 2013. And was very inconsistent to top it all off as a redshirt freshman. He still has great potential, which we saw a glimpse of in the Sugar Bowl, but it is a lesson to us all to think twice during the offseason.
- We knew recruiting was one of David Beaty's forte but did we know he was this good? Kansas' new head coach landed yet another commitment on Monday with junior college running back Ke'aun Kinner picking the Jayhawks. He is KU's seventh commitment since Saturday. Yes, that's right, SEVEN in three days. Apparently numbers won't be a problem but time will tell how well these newcomers were evaluated then developed by Beaty and his coaching staff.
- Kansas State receiver Tyler Lockett is headed to the Senior Bowl. It is a valuable opportunity for Lockett to show scouts what he is about. The record-setting wideout will likely have questions about his size and speed, so being able to show his skills and how he responds to NFL coaching and the daily battles with some of college football's best could help him rise up the draft boards of NFL teams.
- Is Baylor the landing spot for Jarrett Stidham? Bryce Cherry of the Waco Tribune takes a look at the question. The Bears and Oregon are reportedly in a battle to secure the No. 39 player in the ESPN300. Both options look pretty good for the four-star quarterback with Marcus Mariota looking NFL bound and Bryce Petty poised to play his final game in the Cotton Bowl. The Bears already have some solid talent on campus with current commit Chad President set to join the battle to replace Petty. If Stidham decides he is Waco-bound, that would make spring football even more intriguing for Art Briles' program.
- The accolades continue to pile up for TCU coach Gary Patterson, who was named the winner of the Eddie Robinson Award on Monday. Patterson as a great coach, one of the nation's best, isn't new. He's largely to thank for TCU's rise, the Horned Frogs defense -- his main focus --was good during its first two Big 12 seasons and finally got the help it needed with the addition of co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie this season. It's been good to see him rewarded for his excellent program management and ability to maximize the talent on the roster.
Reviewing our Big 12 predictions
Time to own it. Now that the regular season is over, we're looking back on our best and worst picks and prognostications for the 2014 Big 12 season. In some cases, we ended up looking pretty smart. In plenty more, we do not. I'll start us off with a doozy.
Max Olson: Texas Tech will start 7-0 again: Oops. I shouldn't have overlooked the Arkansas game. Or the Oklahoma State game. Or the Kansas State game. Or the West Virginia game.
Brandon Chatmon: Texas will lead the conference in rushing and finish top 10 nationally. The Horns currently rank sixth in the conference and 85th nationally at a disappointing 148.7 rushing yards per game. Neither Johnathan Gray nor Malcolm Brown will rush for 1,000 yards this season.
Olson: David Ash earns All-Big 12 honors. Concussion issues ended Ash's season and playing career after one game this season. I want to stand by this take, but Texas' offensive line was in such bad shape that all-conference honors would've been a challenge.
Trotter: Kansas State will beat either Baylor or Oklahoma on the road. Winner. K-State did pull off a 31-30 upset of Oklahoma, the first of the Sooners' three home losses.
Chatmon: Iowa State's offense will be much improved. Mark Mangino seemed to make a positive impact, but the results were minimal. ISU went from 24.8 points per game to 23.2, and from 363 yards per game to 372.5.
Trotter: Tyreek Hill will lead the league in rushing. Hill finished 15th, accounting for 534 rushing yards in his 12 games as a Cowboy before being dismissed last week. He did lead all Big 12 receivers in rushing yards, for what it's worth.
Chatmon and Olson: Projecting an 8-win season for TCU. During our game-by-game season predictions series in July, Chatmon and I were relatively optimistic about the Horned Frogs around the same time they were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 by league media.
Trotter: Predicting KSU over OU and WVU over Baylor in October. Trotter took the lead in our weekly predictions contest thanks to these prescient picks. He ended up finishing with a record of 67-8 on his regular-season picks. That is quite good.
Olson: Predicting TCU over OU and WVU over Baylor in July. The reader comments for these picks were amazing. A sampling: "Max Olson is extremely poor at predictions." "Please lay off the crack pipe." "TCU scoring 34 points against anyone? Really? How do you figure this?" Best of the best: "Wow ... I legitimately lost all respect for your opinion with the WVU pick over Baylor ... May God have mercy on your soul."
Chatmon: "Malcom Brown is going to make me regret leaving him off my list." This was from our preseason All-Big 12 discussion. We're going to award Chatmon a point for this, even though he did snub Brown at the time.
Olson: Joe Mixon "capable of emerging as an elite playmaker from the get-go." Unfortunately, he emerged as a troublemaker from the get-go.
Trotter: Curse of the kicker. In a pregame post for Auburn vs. Kansas State, Jake called Jack Cantele the Wildcats' X-factor and said KSU should "feel good about their chances" if the game comes down to a kick. He also heaped praise on OU's Michael Hunnicutt one week before the K-State game. College kicking ain't easy.
All three: Finished 60-4 in our unanimous weekly picks. Give us a little credit here. When we put our heads together and agreed on a result, we rarely misled you this season. The four games we were unanimously wrong on: North Dakota State over Iowa State, Arkansas over Texas Tech, TCU over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State winning Bedlam.
All three: A Big 12 team will make the College Football Playoff. We declared the winner of the Baylor-Oklahoma game on Nov. 8 would go on to represent the league in the inaugural playoff. I guess that means we foolishly thought a head-to-head win would be the tiebreaker that sends a Big 12 team to the playoff.
Trevone Boykin, Samaje Perine give Big 12 Heisman heavyweights for 2015
From 1998 to 2011, the Big 12 produced five Heisman winners in Ricky Williams, Eric Crouch, Jason White, Sam Bradford and Robert Griffin III. Others, like Josh Heupel, Adrian Peterson and Vince Young, were worthy runners-up.
No winners since 2011.
No finalists since 2012.
That, however, could change in big way next season.
The Big 12 figures to boast a pair of preseason Heisman heavyweights in TCU fleet-footed quarterback Trevone Boykin and Oklahoma bulldozing running back Samaje Perine.
As arguably the most improved player in college football this season, Boykin drove the Horned Frogs to an 11-1 record and the cusp of the College Football Playoff. He led the Big 12 with 3,714 passing yards and 30 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Boykin also ran for 642 yards and eight scores.
The Horned Frogs will be loaded again offensively next season with 10 starters back. Despite splitting time with Casey Pachall his first two years, Boykin will be one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football. And he will have a season under his belt operating the Doug Meacham/Sonny Cumbie spread offense.
Boykin's top quarterback competition nationally should be out of the way as well. Marcus Mariota, this year's Heisman winner, will likely be in the NFL. So likely will Jameis Winston and Baylor's Bryce Petty.
Because he finished fourth in the voting over the weekend, Boykin will open his senior year on the radar of Heisman voters, which can be an important factor in generating enough traction. And Boykin will be the quarterback of a probable preseason top-10 team and playoff contender, another critical element to mounting a successful Heisman race.
Not since Davey O'Brien accomplished the feat in 1938 has TCU produced a Heisman winner. But with so many factors working in his favor, Boykin will be TCU's best shot to win the award since LaDainian Tomlinson.
However, Boykin won't be the Big 12's only shot.
A running back hasn't won the Heisman since 2009, but Perine could have as good a chance as any running back in 2015 coming off his phenomenal true freshman campaign.
The 5-foot-11, 243-pound power runner led the Big 12 with 1,579 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns this season. One week after Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon set an FBS single-game rushing record with 408 yards, Perine eclipsed it with 427 yards against Kansas on Nov. 22. While splitting carries at times with Keith Ford and Alex Ross, Perine averaged 6.6 yards per carry.
Considering he will have his first full offseason with a college strength and conditioning program, Perine figures to get stronger and sharper, which is a scary thought for opposing Big 12 tacklers. He will be the clear focal point of the Oklahoma offense next season. And like Boykin, he will have Heisman buzz going into the season.
The Sooners will have to win for Perine to have a shot. But if they do, and Perine puts up even bigger numbers as a sophomore, he could join Boykin as a major factor in the Heisman race.
Boykin and Perine aren't the only Big 12 players who could impact the Heisman race. Anyone quarterbacking the Baylor offense has a chance to make waves. Mason Rudolph and Pat Mahomes shined as true freshman quarterbacks for Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, respectively, and could turn into big-time players.
Few saw Boykin as a starting quarterback, much less a Heisman contender, before this season. Who knows who next year's Boykin will be from the Big 12?
But after banner 2014 seasons, Boykin and Perine have prime opportunities to turn the Heisman race back through the place it once ran seemingly every year: Big 12 country.
Saturday, 12/20
Final Nevada 3 Louisiana-Lafayette 16 Final Utah State 21 UTEP 6 Final 22 Utah 45 Colorado State 10 Final Western Michigan 24 Air Force 38 Final South Alabama 28 Bowling Green 33
Monday, 12/22
2:00 PM ET BYU Memphis
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Tuesday, 12/23
6:00 PM ET Marshall Northern Illinois 9:30 PM ET Navy San Diego State
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Wednesday, 12/24
12:00 PM ET Central Michigan Western Kentucky 8:00 PM ET Fresno State Rice
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Friday, 12/26
1:00 PM ET Illinois Louisiana Tech 4:30 PM ET Rutgers North Carolina 8:00 PM ET North Carolina State UCF
Saturday, 12/27
1:00 PM ET Cincinnati Virginia Tech
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2:00 PM ET 15 Arizona State Duke 3:30 PM ET Miami (FL) South Carolina
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4:30 PM ET Boston College Penn State
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8:00 PM ET Nebraska 24 USC
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Monday, 12/29
2:00 PM ET Texas A&M West Virginia
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5:30 PM ET Oklahoma 17 Clemson
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9:00 PM ET Arkansas Texas
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Tuesday, 12/30
3:00 PM ET Notre Dame 23 LSU
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6:30 PM ET 13 Georgia 21 Louisville
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10:00 PM ET Maryland Stanford
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Wednesday, 12/31
12:30 PM ET 9 Ole Miss 6 TCU
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4:00 PM ET 20 Boise State 10 Arizona
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8:00 PM ET 7 Mississippi State 12 Georgia Tech
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Thursday, 1/1
12:00 PM ET 19 Auburn 18 Wisconsin
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12:30 PM ET 8 Michigan State 5 Baylor
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1:00 PM ET 16 Missouri 25 Minnesota
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5:00 PM ET 2 Oregon 3 Florida State
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8:30 PM ET 1 Alabama 4 Ohio State
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Friday, 1/2
12:00 PM ET Houston Pittsburgh
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3:20 PM ET Iowa Tennessee
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6:45 PM ET 11 Kansas State 14 UCLA
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10:15 PM ET Washington Oklahoma State
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Saturday, 1/3
12:00 PM ET East Carolina Florida
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Sunday, 1/4
9:00 PM ET Toledo Arkansas State
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Monday, 1/12
- Tickets
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text:
iSyncr for iTunes (legacy)
100,000 - 500,000 downloadsAdd this app to your lists
+ By JRT Studio
Existing customers continue to get updates and support.
This is the original version of iSyncr for Mac. If you previously purchased this version, continue using and updating this version for FREE. iSyncr for Mac (legacy) is 100% the exact same as iSyncr for iTunes to Android. If you are new to iSyncr, please use the other version which now supports syncing to PC and Mac.
FYI: The reason for the high price tag is to catch your eye so you will buy the new version that supports both Mac and PC. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com if you have any questions.
© 2014 JRT Studio LLC | iSyncr is a trademark of JRT Studio LLC | iTunes is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
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* Version 18.104.22.168
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** FIXED: Crashes
* Version 220.127.116.11
** Fixed: Faster loading of songs with KitKat SD cards
* Version 18.104.22.168
** New: Smaller apk size for ICS and later
** Fixed: Crash when removing SD card while iSyncr is running
* Version 18.104.22.168
** Fixed: Sending notifications too quickly to Android can cause issues.
* Version 220.127.116.11
** Fixed: 5.7.0 doesn't sync playcounts over WiFi
* Version 5.7.0
** New: Updated splash screen
Some lists where this application appears: dustin_writes.
(69 stars)
Any questions or issue with iSyncr can be directed to the developer at email@example.com. iSyncr's support staff is very good.
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Doesn't always record play counts, which means that I often have to mark items as played when in iTunes.
Good piece of kit, in general.
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Need I say more
(69 stars)
This was previously very good and I've used it for a long time. However, that is no longer the case. Can't get the Mac app to start at all. Tried reinstalling on both sides and still no luck. Not impressed particularly as I paid for this app back in the day.
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Just works
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This was a little buggy at 1st, but the recent updates seem to have sorted it. For aspirant users - this is the essential RSA iTunes to Samsung/Sony/HTC/Motorola app - Google Play is useless for getting access to online store music
(69 stars)
It's is very nice and useful application but with the last update its crashing all the time when I want to sync with my Mac book pro 10.10 beta..Error:code:12

subset: commoncrawl


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HOME College Virginia Tech Hokies Gear Virginia Tech Hokies Home Office & School Virginia Tech Hokies Home Office & School School Supplies (81 items) Product ID: 870837
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Keeping track of the little things just got fun with this team-spirited Lil Fat notebook! It features a VT logo and Hokies team name on the front cover. With approximately 150 pages, this pad has plenty of room for you to jot down any VA Tech info. This spiral notebook is a must-have for Hokies fans that value organization as much as their team spirit!
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Document - Italy: An increase in alleged ill-treatment by prison guards
@An increase in alleged ill-treatment by prison guards
Amnesty International has received allegations over a number of years that people held in the custody of law enforcement agents and prison guards in Italy are sometimes subjected to torture and ill-treatment1. During 1992 Amnesty International was particularly concerned by a marked increase in the number of reports alleging that prisoners had been subjected to unwarranted and deliberate physical violence by prison guards. The most common forms of ill-treatment alleged were repeated kicks and punches and prolonged beatings with batons, sometimes involving large numbers of prisoners. These allegations have persisted into the first months of 1993. All concern prisoners held in connection with common criminal offences, including mafia-related activities.
This document describes some of the allegations made during 1992 and early 1993; it is not a comprehensive list of all such cases brought to Amnesty International's attention during that period. It cites incidents reported in Asinara (Island) Prison, Buoncammino Prison (Cagliari, Sardinia), Canton Mombello Prison (Brescia), Gazzi Prison (Messina, Sicily), Padua District Prison, Pianosa Island Prison, Poggioreale Prison (Naples), Regina Coeli Prison (Rome) and Secondigliano Prison (Naples).
Amnesty International has communicated its concern about the allegations of ill-treatment emanating from all these prisons to the Italian authorities. In its letters, Amnesty International has sought further information and comments regarding the allegations themselves, the steps taken to investigate them and the progress and eventual outcome of any official inquiries opened as a result of the allegations. However, the Italian authorities have replied in only one instance (see Alleged ill-treatment in Poggioreale Prison).
Amnesty International is not in a position to confirm, or reject, the accuracy of all the allegations of ill-treatment reported in this document. Nevertheless, the number, frequency and variety of the sources of the allegations give the organization cause to believe that the problem of ill-treatment is not one of a few isolated incidents. Amnesty International is concerned that the Italian authorities should respond to all allegations of ill-treatment in a manner consistent with international standards, including the United Nations (UN) Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, by thoroughly, promptly and impartially investigating such allegations, making public the findings and bringing to justice those responsible.
The reports of alleged torture and ill-treatment described in this document were frequently accompanied by complaints of severe overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate medical assistance and Amnesty International was concerned that the background of sharply deteriorating living conditions and increased tension noted in the prisons during 1992 and the first months of 1993 might have been a contributory factor to the increase in allegations of unwarranted and deliberate physical violence by prison guards during that period.
Public statements made by Nicolò Amato, Director General of Prison Administration (Direttore Generale degli Istituti di Prevenzione e Pena) and by Giovanni Conso, the newly-appointed Minister of Justice, in March 1993, supported by detailed statistics, established that problems within the prison system had reached crisis proportions during 1992.
Their information showed a dramatic rise in the prison population. Between 1991 and 1993 it rose from approximately 25,000 to almost 50,000, which exceeded the prisons' overall maximum capacity by almost 20,000. During a press interview in March 1993 the Director General of Prison Administration said: "The prisons are bursting...Twenty or thirty people are crowded into the larger rooms, six or seven people are shut into the small cells...sometimes without space to stand up. We are forced to put beds anywhere and everywhere, to put mattresses on the floor".2
It was also acknowledged that one of the main factors contributing to prison overcrowding was the slowness in the functioning of the criminal justice system, criticized by Amnesty International on numerous occasions. In 1992 over half of the entire prison population had not yet received a definitive sentence. Tension within the prisons was also exacerbated by the high number of drug-dependent prisoners: over 30% of the prison population admitted to being drug-addicted, with the proportion in larger city prisons often reaching 70% or more.
Some specific examples illustrate the problems. In July 1992 Poggioreale Prison (Naples), with a maximum capacity for approximately 1,300 prisoners was said to be holding some 2,400 inmates. In December 1992 Buoncammino Prison (Cagliari, Sardinia), with a maximum capacity for around 320 prisoners was reportedly holding some 680 prisoners with between six and eight prisoners housed in cells measuring on average 15 or 16 square metres; up to 80% of the inmates were drug addicts. In March 1993 it was reported that Regina Coeli Prison (Rome), with a maximum capacity for approximately 800 prisoners, contained 1,500 prisoners, some 700 of whom were drug-addicts. During a visit to San Vittore Prison (Milan) on 1 April 1993, a group of parliamentary deputies apparently found 14 foreign prisoners from countries outside the European Community held in a cell measuring three by four metres. At the beginning of April 1993 Ucciardone Prison (Palermo), with a capacity for barely 400 prisoners, was reportedly holding over 1,100 prisoners.
The Director General of Prison Administration also indicated that the prison system was suffering from a serious shortage of prison personnel, in particular prison guards and medical staff, together with a chronic lack of funds and an accumulation of large debts: "We don't have money to feed the prisoners, to give them work in prison, to give them medical care. We're also lacking the money for heating fuel, at Christmas we had to leave some prisons unheated".3
The official statistics of the Ministry of Justice suggested that overcrowding and resulting tensions had generated further connected problems. Between 1991 and 1992 a steep increase was recorded in the instances of self-injury by prisoners (2,161 in 1991; 4,385 in 1992), in attempted suicides (365 in 1991; 531 in 1992; in violent incidents between prisoners (74 in 1991; 1,142 in 1992) and in hunger-strikes and other forms of protests by prisoners (2,171 in 1991; 14,837 in 1992).
During March and April 1993 the government launched a series of measures aimed at reducing the prison population and defusing tension within the prisons. These included: increasing the number of prison guards, opening additional prisons, increasing the availability of alternatives to full prison detention, facilitating the expulsion from Italy of foreigners accused of criminal acts and depenalizing a series of minor offences -making them administrative offences. A national referendum in April 1993 voted in favour of depenalizing the personal use of drugs and was also expected to result in a reduction in the prison population.
On 26 March 1993 the government created a special committee presided over by the Prime Minister, and including the Ministers of the Interior, Justice and Defence, to monitor "continuously and directly" ("costantemente e direttamente") the situation in the prisons, the success of the new measures and to introduce further remedial measures, as necessary.
Reports of alleged ill-treatment were still being received by Amnesty International at the end of April 1993, particularly in connection with an amendment to the Penitentiary Regulations.
A series of anti-mafia measures introduced by the government over the summer of 1992 led to numerous transfers to the high security sections of prisons such as Asinara, Pianosa, Poggioreale and Secondigliano of prisoners accused or convicted of mafia-related crimes. Restrictions were placed on the access of such prisoners to - inter alia - correspondence, visits, telephone-calls and exercise periods. These restrictions were introduced under the provisions of Article 41-bis of the Penitentiary Regulations.
Article 41-bis of Law No 354 of 26 July 1975 governing Penitentiary Regulations was amended by Decree Law No 306 of 8 June 1992, converted into Law No 356 of 7 August 1992. The amendment allowed the Minister of Justice to authorize the suspension - for public order and security reasons - all or part of the normal prison rules regulating the treatment of prisoners for those held in connection with organized crime and certain serious criminal offences (homicide, robbery with violence, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and terrorism). Soon after its introduction there were claims that inmates were being ill-treated by prison guards in several prisons where Article 41-bis had been applied and by the first months of 1993 there were allegations that prisoners accused of ordinary criminal offences, as well as those held in connection with the crimes specified under the provisions of Article 41-bis, were also affected.
Reports of alleged ill-treatment by prison guards
Alleged ill-treatment in Asinara (Island) Prison
Asinara Prison is situated on the island of Asinara, a few miles off the coast of Sardinia. The allegations of ill-treatment concerned prisoners held in the "Fornelli" high security section of the prison between late August and October 1992. The prison was in the process of being closed down and certain parts of the "Fornelli" section had already been abandoned when the government launched its series of anti-mafia measures over the summer of 1992. Between 140 and 150 prisoners accused or convicted of mafia-related offences were transferred to the "Fornelli" section of Asinara Prison at the end of August 1992. The necessary restoration work had reportedly not been completed by the time of their arrival and there were numerous complaints about the general conditions including poor sanitation, inadequate food, poor hygiene, lack of medical facilities and overcrowding.
At the end of October 1992 it was reported that Giordano Otello Galati, a prisoner accused of serious mafia offences, who had been transferred to the "Fornelli" section at the end of August 1992 but had since been transferred back to a mainland prison to stand trial in the town of Palmi, had made a formal complaint regarding his treatment in Asinara Prison. In a written complaint sent to the Deputy Public Prosecutor in Palmi he claimed that, after being searched by prison guards shortly after arrival, he had been left naked for a long period and then beaten by the guards. He claimed that he was given sheets which had been used to clean the floors of a dirty cell and of a lavatory, was denied any lavatory paper for a week and allowed no outside exercise for a three-day period. He apparently also claimed that other prisoners had suffered similar beatings and humiliating treatment. He alleged that, when he was notified that his trial was scheduled to take place in Palmi, the guards had used violence to try to force him to sign a declaration stating that he would not appear in person at the hearing. He refused to sign and claimed that on leaving for Palmi the guards threatened him with further violence on his return.
At the same time it was reported that a practice of lawyers in Milan had written to the Minister of Justice alleging that, following a visit to the "Fornelli" section by a group of parliamentary deputies in September 1992, during which numerous prisoners had complained about their treatment, the prisoners had been subjected to severe beatings by prison guards.
Alleged ill-treatment in Buoncammino Prison (Cagliari, Sardinia)
On 23 November 1992 a Sardinian daily newspaper, L'Unione Sarda, published extracts from a letter which it had received from a group of 79 prisoners held in Buoncammino Prison. In addition to complaints about their general conditions of detention the prisoners alleged that they had been the victims of an unprovoked physical attack by prison guards. They stated that at approximately 11pm on 21 July 1992, prison guards entered their cells and, for reasons unknown to them, had subjected them to severe beatings with batons. They claimed that after the beatings they had extensive bruising all over their bodies4. They also alleged that the prison director had transferred the most severely injured prisoners to other prisons so that they would be unlikely to be seen by their relatives for several weeks, by which time their injuries would be less noticeable.
On the day the newspaper published the allegations, Dott. Franco Melis, the Public Prosecutor (Procuratore della Repubblica) interviewed the prison director and obtained a full copy of the prisoners' letter. He opened an inquiry into the allegations of ill-treatment later that day and gave public assurances that the inquiry would be carried out thoroughly and rapidly.
Alleged ill-treatment in Canton Mombello Prison (Brescia)
On 16 July 1992 seven prison guards reportedly intervened to calm an altercation between prisoners in Canton Mombello Prison on the outskirts of Brescia. Immediately afterwards they allegedly dragged Gian Carlo Ragnoli, a prisoner serving a two-year sentence for possession of hashish, from his cell by his hair and beat him within sight of other prisoners while taking him away. When he had not returned to his cell that evening fellow-inmates began banging on the bars of their cells and exploded several small camping-gas cylinders in an act of protest. It was claimed that Gian Carlo Ragnoli was not involved in the initial fracas.
Gian Carlo Ragnoli was subsequently admitted to the prisoner's section of the surgical ward of the local hospital and on 20 July received an operation for a fractured nasal septum. The press reported that on admission to hospital Gian Carlo Ragnoli had, in addition, multiple bruises to his body and blood in his urine. It was also reported that his lawyer subsequently submitted a formal complaint to the Public Posecutor's office in connection with this episode.
Alleged ill-treatment in Gazzi Prison (Messina)
On 24 June 1992 Carmelo La Rosa, a 29-year-old heroin addict, appeared before Messina Appeal Court, Sicily, for a hearing of his appeal against an eight-year sentence which he was serving in Gazzi Prison.
He informed the court that, as a heroin addict, he was subject to severe drug withdrawal crises and that after each such crisis, when sedative drugs had been administered by the prison's medical personnel, the prison guards beat him with batons. He alleged that the marshal of the prison guards had justified this treatment to him by accusing him of only pretending to suffer such crises. He removed his clothing while in the courtroom and claimed that the injuries visible on his body had been caused by blows from batons and had been inflicted by prison guards over the immediately preceding days.
The court acknowledged that there were clear signs of violent blows caused by a blunt instrument on Carmelo La Rosa's chest and shoulders and ordered that his statement be immediately passed to the Public Prosecutor (Procuratore della Repubblica) attached to Messina Tribunal (the lower court) so that he, as the responsible judicial officer, could issue an urgent order for Carmelo La Rosa to be examined by the director of Gazzi Prison clinic, immediately on his return to the prison. The court also reduced Carmelo La Rosa's original sentence to six years' imprisonment.
Carmelo La Rosa was readmitted to Gazzi Prison later that same day and imprisoned in a cell containing one other prisoner. However, the Public Prosecutor apparently neglected to order his medical examination. During the night of 24/25 June, Carmelo La Rosa was found dead, hanging by the neck from a trouser-belt tied to the bars of his cell-window.
On hearing the news of his death on 25 June, his lawyer made a formal, signed, statement to the Public Prosecutor describing the allegations which his client had made to him just before appearing in Messina Appeal Court. Carmelo La Rosa had claimed that he and 17 other detainees, all fellow drug addicts, had been isolated in Gazzi Prison and beaten by prison guards. He had also alleged that, after his last beating, the guards had threatened him with the following words: "If you denounce us we'll hang you". The lawyer stated that he had urged him to denounce his ill-treatment to the court but advised him to make no reference to the alleged threat because, as no supporting evidence could be offered, he considered it possible that his client would thus lay himself open to a counter-charge of calumny.
An investigation was opened by Deputy Public Prosecutor Gianclaudio Mango. It was reported that, shortly afterwards, the prison guards justified the use of physical violence against Carmelo La Rosa and other detainees by stating that it was necessary in order to subdue a prison revolt.
On 16 July Carmelo La Rosa's mother submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor General (Procuratore Generale - the prosecutor attached to the Appeal Court), constituting herself a civil party. The complaint summarized the allegations which her son had made both to his lawyer and to Messina Appeal Court. It also recalled the signs of injury displayed to and noted by the appeal court, the request for the Public Prosecutor to order an immediate medical examination and pointed out that the Public Prosecutor's office did not appear to have acted upon this request. The complaint asked that the investigation already being carried out by the Public Prosecutor should be accompanied by an investigation by the Prosecutor General in order that all those responsible for criminal acts, including acts of omission or neglect, might be identified.
Alleged ill-treatment in Padua District Prison
In October 1992 it was reported that Biagio Mazzara, an inmate of Padua District Prison, had been ill-treated by one or more prison guards, while receiving treatment for kidney stones in the prison infirmary.
It was claimed that, following an altercation with a prison guard, Biagio Mazzara was persuaded to go outside the infirmary on a pretext and was then beaten by one or more prison guards.
Biagio Mazzara's lawyer reportedly lodged a formal complaint on his client's behalf with the magistrate of surveillance5reponsible for Padua Prison in which it was alleged that Biagio Mazzara had been punched, kicked, beaten with a belt buckle and had had burning cigarettes extinguished on his forehead. The judge subsequently ordered that a forensic examination be carried out on Biagio Mazzara. The findings of the forensic examination were apparently consistent with Biagio Mazzara's allegations of ill-treatment.
Alleged ill-treatment in Pianosa Island Prison
During August and September 1992 Amnesty International received a number of allegations that prisoners held in the "Agrippa" high security section of Pianosa Island Prison (located off the coast of Tuscany) had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment by prison guards. The allegations concerned some 55 prisoners transferred to Pianosa from Ucciardone Prison, Palermo, on 20 July and a further dozen or more prisoners transferred to Pianosa during July and August. All the prisoners concerned were reportedly under investigation or convicted in connection with mafia-related activities and their transfers formed part of the series of anti-mafia measures introduced by the government over the summer of 1992.
It was reported that all the prisoners held in the "Agrippa" high security section were being held under Article 41-bis of the Penitentiary Regulations.6According to the information received by Amnesty International, between the date of their transfer and 12 August, the prisoners were not allowed any visits from either their defence lawyers or relatives. The various reports received by Amnesty International after 12 August included allegations that prisoners had been subjected to arbitrary beatings with batons, to punches and kicks and to repeated threats and insults; that they had been forced, on a daily basis, to run and to perform press-ups during the two daily exercise hours and had been beaten with batons and punched and kicked, both while running or if they refused or stopped. It was claimed that two physically handicapped prisoners were observed crawling along the ground to meetings with relatives because their crutches had been removed and no assistance was offered by prison guards. It was also alleged that rectal examinations, which prisoners were informed were necessary for security reasons, were carried out with "sadistic brutality".
Following their first monthly visits, prisoners' relatives reported a series of complaints regarding the general conditions of detention. They claimed - inter alia - that the prisoners had complained of insufficient and inadequate food and appeared undernourished, that the prisoners were dirty in appearance and that many had been allowed no change of clothing since their transfer of 20 July.
Amnesty International noted that, in making these allegations, the majority of prisoners' relatives did not identify themselves by name, claiming that they feared retaliation against their imprisoned relatives if their names became known. However, in the cases of two individual prisoners - Antonio Vaccarino and Rosario Indelicato - formal complaints of ill-treatment were made to the judicial authorities by their wives and defence lawyers following visits which they carried out to the prison in August.
In September Amnesty International wrote to the Minister of Justice, seeking his comments on the reports received and asked to be informed about the official steps taken to investigate the allegations, in particular, whether the prisoners had undergone medical-forensic examinations following the allegations and, if so, with what result.
Amnesty International drew the Minister's attention to its concern that, where prison regulations could be suspended for reasons of public order and security, any new prison regime should continue to provide full and adequate guarantees in areas such as medical care and powers of complaint. The organization considers such provisions particularly important where there is a special regime in force, in order to secure the general physical welfare of prisoners and to protect them from possible ill-treatment.
Amnesty International therefore asked the Minister to provide details of the prison regime in force in the "Agrippa" section, especially the provisions for monitoring the prisoners' state of health. It also sought the Minister's assessment of the extent to which the regime conformed to the principles of the European Prison Rules appended to Recommendation No R(87)3, adopted by the Committee of Ministers to member States of the Council of Europe on 12 February 1987, with particular reference to those sections relating to medical services, discipline and punishment and information to and complaints by prisoners.
A report sent to the Minister of Justice on 5 September 1992 by the magistrate of surveillance responsible for Pianosa Prison - Dr Rinaldo Meroni of Livorno Tribunal -came to public attention in October 1992. It had been sent following a visit which the magistrate had made to the prison in August and his findings and observations appeared to lend credibility to a number of the allegations of ill-treatment received by Amnesty International.
The organization noted with concern the magistrate's statements that he had found a prevailing atmosphere of "extreme unease: fear and a sense of insecurity..."7in the "Agrippa" section and had observed prisoners being treated in ways which were "certainly not marked by respect for the person and for the principles of humanity"8. Amnesty International was also disturbed by the magistrate's conclusions that the "Agrippa" section presented "a general picture of abuse and lack of administrative control"9and that criminal acts had possibly taken place there. In view of the magistrate's further conclusion that it was "absolutely necessary to regain full control of the "Agrippa" section so that the legality and respect for those minimum rules of humanity in the execution of sentences and the protection of the physical and psychological integrity of the person are guaranteed, without exception"10, Amnesty International sent a further letter to the Minister, seeking information about the official steps taken as a result of the magistrate's findings.
Amnesty International was also concerned by the magistrate's account of several incidents which he described as involving "gratuitous and illegal brutality"11against common detainees held in the ordinary sections of the prison. Namely, that a few days after the arrival in July of the new contingent of prisoners in the "Agrippa" section, three non-commissioned prison officers attached to that section called four prisoners out of the ordinary section one by one and beat them both with and without truncheons. One of the prisoners apparently suffered such severe injuries that he had to be immediately transferred from the island. All detainees re-entering the ordinary section of the prison during the afternoon of the day of these events were called before the guards and at least one of them was required to submit to a strip-search and to bend over repeatedly for a rectal examination; the magistrate emphasized that there was no necessity or justification for such a search. After obeying an order to dress himself the detainee also received a heavy blow from one of the guards. On returning to his cell he asked for and was then attended by a prison doctor. That night the three guards in question returned to the section and subjected the detainee to a severe beating. The magistrate commented that this was no doubt inflicted in order to intimidate the prisoner and discourage him from speaking about his treatment.
The magistrate indicated that he intended to send further details, including the name of one of the guards who had participated in the above incidents, to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Livorno. Amnesty International therefore asked to be informed if the Prosecutor's office had opened an inquiry into the incidents and, if so, to be informed of any criminal or disciplinary proceedings arising from it.
In April 1993 it was reported that a mafia plot had been uncovered to kill 12 prison guards who had been employed in Pianosa Prison at the time of the alleged ill-treatment. There were claims that the killings had been planned in revenge for the ill-treatment allegedly inflicted by the prison guards on prominent mafia members held in Pianosa Prison in 1992.
Alleged ill-treatment in Poggioreale Prison (Naples)
It was alleged that approximately four days before their transfer from Poggioreale Prison in mid-July 1992, between 200 and 250 prisoners under investigation or already convicted in connection with mafia-related offences were ill-treated by prison guards. The great majority of them, some 200, were transferred to Spoleto Prison.
The allegations did not become public until the end of August 1992 when a group of parliamentary deputies attached to the European Federalist Group (Gruppo Federalista Europeo) reported that they had received complaints from relatives of the Poggioreale prisoners transferred to Spoleto Prison in mid-July and addressed a formal parliamentary question on the matter to the Minister of Justice.
The deputies reported that the relatives claimed that prison guards called between 200 and 250 prisoners one by one to the isolation cells in Poggioreale Prison during an exercise period and that many of them were then severely beaten by the guards.
In January 1993 the then Minister of Justice, Claudio Martelli, wrote to Amnesty International stating that, following the letters of inquiry which he had received from the organization concerning official investigation of the allegations, he had entrusted a special assistant to carry out an inquiry into the alleged ill-treatment of July 1992. He added that the prison director of Poggioreale had informed him that no ill-treatment had been perpetrated against prisoners at that time. The Minister also said that "misunderstandings could have been created" by the fact that "a special treatment" provided for under Article 41-bis of the Penitentiary Regulations12, allowing "severe restrictions for criminals condemned for mafia activities", had been applied to some of the prisoners held in Poggioreale during the period in question.
In concluding his letter the Minister said that, although he had full confidence in the thorough report he had received from his special assistant, he had instructed the competent department within the Ministry of Justice to request the Public Prosecutor of Naples to open an official investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of July 1992. He gave assurances that Amnesty International would be kept informed about the results of the investigation.
Further allegations of ill-treatment emanated from Poggioreale Prison in early 1993. In February 1993 female relatives of prisoners held in Poggioreale, including drug-dependent prisoners held in connection with drug-related offences, as well as prisoners held in connection with mafia-related offences, carried out protests outside the prison.
The protests followed the application of a series of restrictive measures to Poggioreale Prison inmates, which had been introduced on the orders of the Minister of Justice after the killing of a Poggioreale prison guard by the Camorra (the Naples mafia) near his Naples home at the beginning of February 1993. The new restrictions reportedly included a reduction in monthly visits, incoming mail, telephone calls and in the daily exercise periods.
During the protests relatives alleged that prisoners were subjected to ill-treatment in Poggioreale Prison. The all-party Parliamentary Committee for Prison Affairs (Commissione parlamentare per gli affari penitenziari) in Rome received numerous letters in which Poggioreale inmates alleged that they had been ill-treated by prison guards. Several of these allegations were accompanied by medical certificates issued by the prison authorities in which the injuries recorded on several prisoners were apparently attributed to their having fallen accidentally from their beds.
The Director General of Prison Administration visited the prison on 17 February 1993 and in public statements dismissed the allegations of ill-treatment as having no foundation.
Alleged ill-treatment in Regina Coeli Prison (Rome)
According to press reports Alessandro Ruver, aged 32, was arrested while in the act of purchasing heroin and committed to Regina Coeli prison, Rome, on 27 January 1992. His mother and sister claimed that when they visited him in the prison on 31 January he was covered in bruises and had to use a wheel-chair to move about. He indicated a prison guard standing nearby and said that the man had attacked and beaten him.
However, the family claimed that another prison guard informed them that he had received the injuries during a fight between prisoners. One newspaper report noted that no such incident was, however, recorded in the prison's disciplinary records. The newspaper also related that, after Alessandro Ruver's death, the Director of Regina Coeli prison sent a report to the Deputy Public Prosecutor (Sostituto Procuratore della Repubblica) investigating the circumstances of the prisoner's death, which stated that during his imprisonment Alessandro Ruver had accidentally fallen out of his bed, thus suffering the injuries seen by his relatives.
Alessandro Ruver was due to appear before Rome Tribunal in connection with the drugs offence on an unspecified date some time after 27 January but the court received a note from Regina Coeli prison stating that the prisoner was unable to appear because he was in a "confused state"13
On 3 February 1992 Alessandro Ruver's sister returned to Regina Coeli Prison but was informed that her brother had been transferred to San Giovanni Hospital, Rome. At the hospital the family apparently discovered that this was Alessandro Ruver's second admission to the hospital since his imprisonment. The hospital informed the family that he was dying from "fulminant meningitis".14 Alessandro Ruver died at San Giovanni Hospital on 6 February 1992.
It was reported that, following the family's allegations, Rome Deputy Public Prosecutor, Diana De Martino, opened an investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of Alessandro Ruover and the circumstances surrounding his death, ordering the exhumation of his body and a new autopsy.
On 30 April 1992 the UN Committee against Torture, during its consideration of Italy's first report on its implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention against Torture, raised the case of Alessandro Ruver with the Italian delegation. The delegation stated that both an administrative and a judicial inquiry had immediately been opened into the circumstances of Alessandro Ruver's death and were still under way. The Committee asked to be informed of the eventual outcome of the investigation and of any resulting criminal proceedings.
Alleged ill-treatment in Secondigliano Prison (Naples)
On 15 December 1992 the president of the lawyers practising in the criminal court of Naples Tribunal and the secretary of a local lawyers' union presented a report to the Naples Public Prosecutor requesting the immediate opening of a judicial inquiry into alleged ill-treatment of prisoners held in Secondigliano Prison.
The lawyers' representatives stated that they had received reports from their colleagues about "systematic beatings and gratuitous ill-treatment"15being inflicted on inmates of Secondigliano Prison by prison guards. They refused to identify individual alleged victims by name, explaining that the prisoners had stated that they feared retaliation.
In January it was reported that a parliamentary deputy representing the Socialist Party had raised the allegations in a parliamentary question addressed to the Minister of Justice. The question sought information on the steps being taken to investigate the alleged ill-treatment. It was subsequently reported that that the Public Prosecutor's office in Naples had opened a judicial inquiry into the alleged ill-treatment at Secondigliano Prison, headed by Deputy Public Prosecutor Maurizio Fumo.
On the night of 28 January 1993, the Deputy Prosecutor, accompanied by a forensic doctor and a carabinieri unit, carried out an inspection at the prison in the context of the judicial inquiry into alleged ill-treatment. According to press reports published a few days after the inspection, they saw a number of prisoners bearing signs of physical injury. The forensic doctor apparently indicated his conclusion that the injuries found on two prisoners had not been caused by deliberate physical ill-treatment. However, he apparently made no immediate statement regarding the possible cause of the injuries displayed by other prisoners.
In a public statement made at the beginning of February, the secretary of the local lawyers' union indicated that Secondigliano inmates continued to make allegations of ill-treatment by prison guards. At the same time, a local newspaper reported that since the summer of 1992 it had received numerous letters from Secondigliano inmates alleging ill-treatment. The letters claimed that those most likely to be beaten by the prison guards were drug-dependent prisoners.
Prior to a visit of inspection to the prison carried out by the Parliamentary Committee for Prison Affairs (Commissione parlamentare per gli affari penitenziari) on 18 February 1993, the Committe's president stated publicly that the Committee had received numerous letters from Secondigliano inmates complaining about conditions within the prison and alleging ill-treatment. The Radical Party also reported receiving allegations of ill-treatment from Secondigliano inmates.
In April 1993 the press published an extract from a letter sent to Naples Deputy Public Prosecutor Maurizio Fumo by Gennaro Russo, a prisoner who had recently been transferred away from Secondigliano Prison in order to receive medical treatment. In his letter he asked not to be returned to Secondigliano and apparently stated: "I shake with fear at the idea of going back in there. I suffer from a slipped disc and every time I asked for an operation I was beaten, humiliated and insulted ..."16
On 26 April the commandant of the prison guards at Secondigliano Prison and five superintendents were suspended from duty for a preliminary period of two months in connection with possible criminal charges, including abusing their authority, striking prisoners and giving false testimony. The commandant is suspected of having instigated the beating of Secondigliano inmates by prison guards and of opening the prisoners' outgoing mail and threatening them with further violence if they failed to remove passages referring to their alleged ill-treatment. At the end of April a further 60 to 70 guards were reportedly under judicial investigation in connection with the alleged ill-treatment of prisoners.
1For further information on Amnesty International's concerns regarding torture and ill-treatment in Italy, see Italy - Torture and ill-treatment: a summary of Amnesty International's Concerns (AI Index: EUR 30/04/92) and Amnesty International's Concerns in Europe: May 1992 - October 1992 (AI Index: EUR 01/04/92).
2"Le carceri scoppiano ... Nei cameroni si ammassano venti, trenta persone, in piccole celle sono rinchiusi sei o sette detenuti ... a volte senza lo spazio per stare in piedi. Siamo costretti a piazzare letti ovunque, a mettere materassi a terra ...".
3"Non abbiamo i soldi per far mangiare i detenuti, per farli lavorare in prigione, per curarli. Ci mancano anche i soldi per il gasolio, a Natale abbiamo dovuto lasciare al freddo alcune carceri".
4"Il 21 luglio 1992, martedì, alle ore 22 circa, per motivi non precisati siamo stati picchiati dalle guardie ... tutte le guardie entravano con appositi manganelli massacrandoci e pestandoci lasciandoci grossi lividi in tutte le parti del corpo"
5A magistrate with - inter alia - specific responsibility for monitoring the treatment of the inmates of prisons under his/her charge
6See Background
7"di estremo disagio: paura, senso di precarietà"
8"sicuramente non improntate al rispetto della persona ed a principi di umanità"
9"un quadro generale di sopraffazione e di carenza di controlli dirigenziali"
10"occorre assolutamente riprendere appieno il controllo della diramazione Agrippa nel senso che vengano garantite senza eccezioni la legalità ed il rispetto di quelle regole minime di umanità nell'esecuzione delle pene e di tutela dell'integrita fisica e psichica delle persone"
11"gratuita ed illegale brutalità"
12See Introduction
13"stato confusionale"
14inflammation of the brain membrane
15"sistematici pestaggi e gratuiti maltrattamenti"
16"Mi vengono i brividi di paura all'idea di tornare lì dentro ... Sono malato di ernia del disco, e non potevo chiedere un intervento che venivo picchiato, umiliato e offeso ...."
Amnesty International May 1993AI Index: EUR 30/04/93