HARD JAIL REGIME FOR MOBSTERS NOT CONSTITUTIONAL

The tough Italian prison regime for mobsters who refuse to turn state's evidence breaches the constitution, the country's top court ruled on Tuesday, urging parliament to amend the law within a year.

People given life sentences for mafia-related crimes in Italy are not eligible for parole or other concessions for good behaviour, unless they offer information that might help the authorities with their investigations.

Magistrates say the rule is crucial to persuade mafiosi to become informants, but the ruling by the Constitutional Court said it risked placing convicts in an unacceptable dilemma which put their families in danger.

The families of mafiosi who turn state's evidence are often targeted by the organized crime gangs they betray.