Traces of black soot still mark the facade of the Regina Coeli jail, a reminder of the latest riots in Rome's infamous lock-up — emblematic of long-standing troubles plaguing Italy's prison system.
A steady stream of women, some with eyes swollen from crying, pass through the visitors' entrance of the crumbling edifice, where on any one day more than 1,150 men are crammed into a facility designed for just 628.
