Typos

New Prison to be Built in Mathiatis

Published March 23, 2026, 17:26
New Prison to be Built in Mathiatis

The new prison will be built in Mathiatis, on a 1.3 million square meter area already designated for this purpose, announced the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Kostas Fytiris. The project is expected to cost €300 million and will have 1500 beds. Simultaneously, procedures are underway to recruit 90 prison guards and select a new Director of the Central Prisons, for which 37 applications have been submitted. The Minister of Justice appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, which examined the conditions of detention in the Central Prisons and the protection of the human rights of prisoners. The Committee Chairman, Giorgos Koukoumas, described the Central Prisons as “the headquarters of crime,” emphasizing the need for substantial changes. During the session, questions were raised regarding the recruitment of new staff, the training of existing employees, the mobile phone detection system, and the overcrowding of the Prisons. The Minister of Justice acknowledged the problems of the prison system and the exhaustion of staff, while emphasizing that the facilities do not meet modern standards. The selection of the new Director of the Central Prisons will be made by the Public Service Commission (PSC), with the Minister expressing hope that the most suitable candidate will be selected. This process has sparked debate, with some questioning the suitability of the PSC for selecting the Director.