Filenews 23 January 2026 - by Michalis Chatzivasilis
The Minister of Justice has two proposals from private intermediaries for the construction of new Central Prisons in his office, even before announcing his decision to create a completely new penitentiary, outside the urban fabric.
Information from "F" states that the two proposals were sent to the Ministry of Justice and Public Order addressed to Minister Kostas Fytiris, however it is considered that it is too early to discuss issues related to the construction of new prisons itself, since many others must first precede before we reach the stage of announcing the grandiose project.
According to our same information, one proposal comes from a former political figure who had previously shown interest in the construction of new prisons, when such a possibility had been considered, however the plans were abandoned, due to the high cost of the whole project at the time.
According to the announcements of the Minister of Justice, the project will be promoted quickly and at the minimum cost, however it will have to be preceded by viability studies, an architectural study, an electrical study and there must be a cash flow. Also, first and foremost, there should be information and consultation with the residents of the areas adjacent to the new prisons, so that there are no reactions that will delay or even cancel the project. The main thing, as we were duly told, is to convince the residents of the areas that will be affected, even though the new prisons will be built on state land a few kilometers from the first houses. Mr. Fytiris intends to inform the neighbouring communities about the benefits they will have and the fact that it will be a closed community without security risks.
It is noted that the decision to build new prisons was taken due to the multiple problems faced by the existing ones, not only overcrowding and frequent negative reports from European institutions dealing with human rights. In order to make it possible to promote new prisons, the project of building a new wing, with a capacity of 360 people, which would be created near the existing prison, was cancelled. The necessary studies have already been carried out for this project and an audit firm has been paid for their preparation. In fact, Public Works was ready for the announcement of the project.
The solution of the new prisons has been discussed intensely since 2000, however the cost was what postponed the project, which is why huge efforts were made to upgrade the existing ones, but overcrowding acted as a brake, bringing serious consequences to the rights of prisoners. At the moment, more than 1100 people are being held in prisons, while the capacity reaches 750.
