Filenews 9 January 2026 - by Michalis Chatzivasilis
The Minister of Justice is focusing his attention on three areas for the construction of the new Central Prisons, in order to solve the chronic problems of overcrowding that create chain effects and denounce the name of the country in the EU.
After the green light of the President of the Republic to proceed with the plans for new prisons, Konstantinos Fytiris began to search for spaces, while, at the same time, he initiated the procedures for the plans and the way they operate. According to information, there are currently three candidate spaces to accommodate the new prisons. They all concern carpet land, there will be no need for expropriations, which would increase the cost, while priority is given to an area located between Nicosia and Larnaca.
The goal of the Minister of Justice is for the new prisons to be located in a central location, in order to reduce the distances between the transport of prisoners, which will reduce the cost and hours of employment of either police officers or prison guards for their transport. The area chosen as the first option is quite far from communities, however, it is estimated that some that are adjacent will benefit since visitors and others will buy services or goods from them.
The main goal of Mr. Fytiris is to build a completely new prison with all the standards required by international organizations in relation to human rights, at the minimum cost. Their capacity has not yet been locked, however, it is estimated that it will be close to a thousand people to meet all needs.
With the construction of the new prisons (no timetable has yet been set) the existing ones will be closed and will either be converted into a museum or something else. As far as the juvenile prisons are concerned, it is expected that in February a part of the pre-removal center in Limnes will be ready for the transfer of the deported foreigners detained there, so that the works to convert them into a place of detention for children can begin.
In the meantime, in addition to the recruitment of 90 new prison guards (76 positions had already been announced from previously), the two moves announced by Mr. Fytiris seem to hit the root of the problem with the many sick leaves of the staff. At the moment there is a rank and file who have not been in prison for two years due to sick leave. According to the decisions taken, those who are absent on sick leave for long periods of time will go through a medical council again, while, at the same time, prison guards will be awarded points according to their working hours for promotion purposes. It is inconceivable, Mr. Fytiris told "F", that someone who has been absent from work for more than 90 days is in the same fate as the one who works uninterruptedly. The scoring will be proportional to the work duties.
"A step in the right direction"
Besides, the announcement of the measures for prisons by Mr. Fytiris the day before yesterday seems to be gaining points in the unions as well. Already, after the war of announcements that had recently broken out between the two staff unions, they have now decided to hold a joint banquet for the cutting of the New Year's cake, which will also be attended by the minister.
Yesterday, the Prison Personnel Branch of PASYDY described as "a critical first step in the right direction" the announcements of the Minister of Justice for the construction of new prisons outside the urban fabric and for the strengthening of the Prison Department with new recruitments of prison guards. The Branch emphasizes that these measures respond to long-standing, long-standing and documented requests of the staff, while recognizing the minister's stated political will to promote substantial changes in the prison system.
At the same time, however, the PASYDY Branch sends a clear message that the current situation in the Prisons does not allow for any more delays and points out that chronic and intense understaffing, increased risks to the safety of staff and prisoners, as well as exhausting working conditions, have led the system "to the limits of its endurance. The staff has borne the burden of a system that operates marginally for years," he says, while calling for the immediate translation of the announcements into actions.
