ROME, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Italian government on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in the country's prisons and launched a four-point plan to tackle the overcrowding, ANSA news agency reported.

    Talking at a press conference attended as well by Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, the Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said "the plan is without precedent in the history of this Republic."

    "We're going to eliminate prison overcrowding once and for all without resorting to another round of amnesties," he added, which would empty prisons by pouring criminals in the society.

    Alfano announced that first on the agenda was the construction of 47 new jail annexes to boost the system's capacity by 21,749 units.

    The new cell blocks would cost a total 600 million euros and follow the rebuilding strategy implemented in the earthquake-struck city of L'Aquila, with construction crews working in round-the-clock shifts.

    "This is the same scheme that has allowed us to put a roof over the head of everyone who lost their home" in the April 2009 quake, Alfano said.

    In addition, between 2011 and 2012 the government would launch a second campaign to build brand-new prisons to accommodate a total of 80,000 inmates, almost twice its current capacity.

    To depressurize jails in the meantime, the justice minister promised new legislation allowing home detention for inmates with less than one year to serve on their sentence and probation with community service for anyone sentenced to less than three.

    Finally, he promised to hire some 2,000 new guards needed to oversee Italy's swelling prison population, which hit a post-war high last year of over 65,000 detainees.

    Italy's aging jails, most of which built in the 19th century, were designed to accommodate just 43,000 prisoners.

    Experts have blamed the overcrowding for a record 71 prison suicides in 2009 and another four in the first week of January.

    "It's an intolerable situation," said Berlusconi. "A civilized state can take freedom away from a person who commits a crime, but it cannot take away his dignity or undermine his health," he added.

    "We've taken it upon ourselves to find a lasting solution," he said, an oblique reference to an overwhelmingly unpopular prisoner amnesty enacted in 2006 under ex-premier Romano Prodi's center-left government.