Details
Legal instruments & key provisions
| Legal instrument | Key provision |
|---|---|
| Penitentiary Code (Σωφρονιστικός Κώδικας) | Cell space: a) 35 cubic meters for private cells (single cell accommodation), b) 40 cubic meters in case of placement of a second inmate in a private cell (double cell accommodation), c) 40 cubic meters for female inmates detained with their infants (up to three years old), who are always held in private cells, d) 6 square meters per inmate in wards/ multi occupancy cells. The construction and layout of detention establishments ensures to satisfactory degree sunlight and ventilation with the use of windows, heating, comfortable circulation within the areas, suitable for the climate of their location. Private cells have a bed, table, chair and closet, while wards should be equipped with the corresponding beds, closets, as well as with the relevant table(s) capacity and an equal number of chairs. Furthermore, private cells and wards have their own heating and sanitation (washbasin, toilet) facilities. Every sanitation installation of the wards must not serve more than three inmates. The existence of a bath in the cells and wards is not necessary, if there is an adequate number of common use bathroom installations with hot and cold water for the personal hygiene and cleanliness of each inmate. |
NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM RECOMMENDATIONS
| Year | Recommendation | Report |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | NPM made note of a number of issues among which overcrowding, shortages in infrastructure and old facilities, citing some alarming examples. | Report details |
| 2017 | These concerns from 2015 remain in its 2017 annual report. There, the NPM noted that although the overall number of detainees is low (total prison population remains below 10.000) overcrowding persists which is creating issues in certain facilities. | Report details |
| 2018 | The National Preventive Mechanism (Greek Ombudsman) in its annual special report of 2018 on the prevention of torture and ill- treatment noted that in the vast majority of the detention facilities the overcrowding phenomenon has reappeared, improvement of prison conditions requires a holistic approach to managing overcrowding and legislation must be passed to rationalise penalties, protect human dignity and reduce the length of sentences via the adoption of alternative measures. | Report details |
| 2019 | In its annual special report of 2019 , the NPM stressed that the initial significant prison decongestion trend has gradually receded, mainly due to the high rates of pre-trial detention and the severity of penalties imposed by courts on certain categories of crimes. | Report details |