Filenews 29 November 2023
The Ministry of Justice is optimistic about doubling the capacity of Central Prisons with a series of projects planned for 2024 to solve the problem of overcrowding and better living conditions for prisoners.
According to the Ministry's plans, the capacity of the cells is expected to reach 1,200 people instead of 620 today, with a series of projects, the main one concerning the conversion of the open prison into a closed one and the construction of a new wing.
The designs, as mentioned in "F", concern:
Conversion of an open prison into a closed one.
Conversion of the Center for Extra-institutional Employment of Prisoners into an open prison.
Creation of a new Center for Non-Institutional Employment.
Creation of two new metal security towers for supervision.
New fencing around the open prison complexes and the new closed prison.
New unified closed-circuit surveillance system (CCTV) to cover all areas of the Prison Purchase of new electronic security systems. Purchase of machinery and equipment for the needs of the wings. Reinforcement of physical security measures in the perimeter security zones. Construction of shelters in the courtyard of the new open prison.
As is well known, the first buildings of the Central Prison facilities were erected around 1894 and had an initial capacity of only 350 prisoners. Extensive work has been done in recent years to improve infrastructure and increase capacity, with the result that today the actual capacity, under conditions that meet the minimum standards set by European and international organizations, to approximately 620 seats.
It is noted that the nominal capacity under such conditions is 707 seats. However, a significant number of places in the Open Prison and the Guidance Center for Extra-institutional Employment for the Rehabilitation of Convicts (KKEAAK) cannot be utilized, because there is no such number of prisoners who meet the criteria for transfer to these facilities. Inmates of the closed prison cannot be transferred to the vacant positions of the open prison, since any contact between prisoners of the closed and the open prison is prohibited. The number of prisoners in Central Prisons over the last two years has fluctuated slightly to about 1000 persons.
In recent years, with the increase in crime and illegal migration flows, the number of detainees has shown an increasing trend, with the result that the available places / cells are not sufficient to meet current and future needs. The numbers are not expected to decrease, given that the profile of prisoners has changed in the last decade, since while a decade ago light-duty inmates constituted 70% of the total and long-term inmates only 30%, these percentages have now been reversed.
The Ministry of Justice now finds that the problem of overcrowding hinders the operation of the penitentiary and the proper supervision of prisoners and immediate actions are required to address it. In order to solve the problem of overcrowding in Central Prisons, it is necessary to create additional infrastructure and convert existing buildings so that at least 1200 people can be detained.
Currently, there are 620 places in the closed prison, 30 places in the Juvenile Special (18-21 years old), 116 places in the open prison (and there are 38 prisoners) and 41 places in the KKEAAK (and there are 21 prisoners).
The Ministry of Justice and Public Order, in cooperation with the Directorate of the Department of Prisons, decided to increase the capacity of the closed prison by 240 beds by converting the open prison into a closed one, a project that will be completed in September 2024. On the other hand, it was decided to build a new wing of a closed prison with a capacity of 360 places within the area of the Central Prison, which will be the most long-term solution. For the new wing, the building program has already been prepared by the Department of Public Works and is expected to be costed by the competent Departments.
Upon completion of the costing, the relevant Project Note (PCN) will be forwarded to the Directorate-General for Development for approval. The new wing that will be constructed will incorporate all the necessary modern mechanisms that will facilitate management and provide maximum security and will meet all standards regarding the dignified living of prisoners.
