Law 180 of 1978 saw the definitive closure of the mental hospitals ,as proposed by the psychiatrist Franco Basaglia, but it did not include the closure of the criminal mental hospitals. The only benefit to these institutions following the law was the change of name, which was transformed into the Judicial Psychiatric Hospital ( O.P.G. ospedale psichiatrico giudiziario) .The psychiatric Institutions for criminals are totally discriminating, totally closed and refer to a person simply as a number. In Italy there are presently six such psychiatric hospitals and about 1200 patients detained in them for criminal activity.  (More) ...