Minister vows to solve prison overcrowding by 2026

Justice and Public Order Minister Marios Hartsiotis said on Friday he expects a significant reduction in prison overcrowding after the construction of the new Central Prison building, to be completed in 2026 according to schedule.

Speaking after a meeting with EDEK party President Marinos Sizopoulos, in Nicosia, where they discussed, among others, the issue of prison decongestion and justice system reform, the Minister said that the deadline for the transfer of prisoners from the current open prison to the new open prison is on February 29.

He added that works are already underway to upgrade the existing building of the open prison and the work will be completed in the autumn, specifically in September. He noted that "with the completion of works, the open prison building, which will now be converted into a Central Prison building, will be able to accommodate more than 200 prisoners." He indicated that within this year, decongestion of the Central Prison building will reach 30%.

"In the medium term, as you know, the construction of a new building for the Central Prison is already underway, with a completion date of 2026," the Justice Minister said, expressing optimism that prison overcrowding might be solved temporarily.