Understaffing and overcrowding are the two persistent problems currently facing the Central Prisons, as acknowledged by Minister of Justice Kostas Fytiris.
To address these problems, pending the construction of new prisons, the Ministry of Justice is taking various measures. One of these concerns illegal immigration, where, as he said, in the first half of 2026 alone, 6,500 undocumented immigrants were deported directly; if they had been arrested and brought to court today, they would be “detainees.” Now “they are deported immediately, because there is no reason to arrest them, open a case file, and take them to court to impose a sentence,” and then deport them after they have served their sentence, he explained.
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The staffing shortage in prisons will be addressed on two fronts: incentives on the one hand and training on the other. We have already established a partnership with the University of Cyprus that will apply to those who have just been hired.
Another initiative concerns those convicted of minor offenses—that is, individuals sentenced for either financial crimes or minor offenses —who, upon serving half of their sentence “with the approval of the Attorney General,” may be released from prison. Furthermore, the issue of alternative sentences, such as community service, is being promoted; however, as the Minister of Justice noted, for this measure to be implemented, the law would need to be amended, and that will take some time.
When asked to comment on the issue of the large number of sick leaves allegedly taken by some prison guards, Mr. Fytiris said that this specific issue is a problem that plagues the civil service in general and “we must find a way, in cooperation with the Panhellenic Medical Association, because doctors, too, must understand that when they issue a sick leave certificate that should not normally be issued, it causes hardship for the public service and for the rest of the staff who remain on the job.”
The Minister of Justice acknowledged that it is very likely there are individuals among the prison staff who do not meet the job requirements or who even turn a blind eye to certain things, since, as he said, there are many ways for something illegal to enter prisons; however, “the majority of prison guards do a very difficult job.” “Having to constantly supervise convicts—whether they’re serving long or short sentences, or people with mental health issues”— is quite difficult, he noted, which is why “the idea is to offer greater incentives to attract more prison guards during recruitment.” “We advertised 90 positions and received 42 applications, which means this is a profession that isn’t attractive, and we need to make it attractive,” he emphasized.
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