The meeting, hosted in the office of the Prime Minister (Megaro Maximou), focussed on the action required to tackle the chronic crisis within prisons and to reform the prison system. The discussions followed up on the findings of the Committee’s visits in 2021 and January 2025 and the previous high-level meetings on prison reform in 2022 and 2023. In this context, the delegation was keen to learn about the measures being taken by the Government to tackle the systemic problems of overcrowding and understaffing in prisons and to implement the CPT’s recommendations.
The talks, carried out in a spirit of openness, were constructive and all parties expressed a clear commitment to improve the dire situation of persons deprived of their liberty in Greece’s prisons. In acknowledging the long-standing structural problems identified by the CPT and the Committee’s key role in the reform process, the Greek authorities set out their ambition to develop a modern prison system. In particular, they presented a fully costed five-year multi-sector reform programme under the coordination and oversight of the Office of the Prime Minister for the recovery of the prison system.
The new Action Plan 2025 – 2030 notably foresees targeted interventions in the areas of managing overcrowding, improving living conditions and the functioning of prisons, addressing understaffing and the training of staff, upgrading healthcare services, and facilitating the social reintegration of prisoners. The plan also provides for both targeted, short-term interventions – including the maintenance of existing prisons and the promotion and use of alternatives to imprisonment – and long-term measures – including a €268 million programme for the construction of eight new prisons, increasing the overall capacity of the prison estate by almost 4 000 places by 2030, with a precise timeline for implementation. It also sets out clear proposals for estimated costs and projected financing, and regular yearly reporting and reviews of the progress achieved. In addition, targeted interventions had already started to improve healthcare provision and to overhaul mental healthcare for persons in prisons.
The meeting was chaired by Akis Skertsos, Minister of State at the Office of the Prime Minister, responsible for coordinating government policies, who emphasised the importance of prison reform being a priority for the whole government given its crucial role in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. The new Action Plan was presented by the Secretary General for Anti-Crime Policy, Aristos Perris, with introductions from Michalis Chrysochoidis, Minister of Citizen Protection, and Deputy Minister Giannis Lampropoulos.
In addition, the various actions being taken to improve healthcare in prisons were outlined by Irini Agapidaki, Alternate Minister of Health, together with Dimitris Vartzopoulos, Deputy Minister of Health, and Professor Giorgos Ar. Alevizopoulos, Head of Department of Psychiatry at “Agioi Anargyroi” Hospital. Stelios Koutnatzis, the Secretary General of the Prime Minister, provided information on the ongoing efforts to ensure that the domestic remedy for prisoners complaining about prison conditions was effective. The meeting was also attended by Ambassador Nicolas Sigalas, Permanent Representative of Greece to the Council of Europe, and other senior officials.
The CPT was represented by its President, Alan Mitchell, and Karin Rowhani-Wimmer, with the support of Hugh Chetwynd, Executive Secretary, and Sebastian Rietz of the CPT Secretariat.
