An extension for the creation of juvenile prisons is requested for another year, since the works at the Limnes pre-removal center in Mennogeia have not yet been completed.
A bill submitted to the Parliament requests that the date 1/1/2026, set by law for the detention of children sentenced to imprisonment in a special detention facility within prisons, be extended until the start of operation of a child detention facility. The extension period of the existing legislation is estimated to be no longer than 31 December 2026.
According to a decision of the Government, the juvenile prisons will be built in the current migrant detention center (HOKAM) in Mennogia. The migrants detained there will be transferred to the Limnes Center in the same area, which is not yet ready, while the premises in Mennogeia must be renovated to be child-friendly. The juveniles on trial will also be held in the same place, in order to solve a chronic problem. It is noted that the Parliament had already given an extension for the creation of a juvenile detention area, due to the change in its use, since according to the original bill, it was provided that its security and management would be carried out by a private individual, while now everything will be handled by the state, except for its operation.
In the meantime, another bill submitted to the Parliament criminalizes the possession, use, import and export to or from prisons, of a mobile phone or other portable means of communication by any person, prisoner or not. There are penalties of imprisonment of up to two years or a fine not exceeding €6,000 or both and the mobile phone is subject to confiscation. The same penalty is provided for visitors who may be allowed by the prison director to import telephone or other devices and are illegally given to prisoners.
In the bill there is a special provision regarding stricter penalties when a prison staff member attempts to insert a mobile phone. According to a relevant provision, a prison guard in case of a conviction for importing a mobile phone into prisons, is subject to a prison sentence not exceeding three years or a fine not exceeding €10,000 or both.
