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A solution to the problem of overcrowding in the Central Prisons was launched with the approval by the Council of Ministers of the proposal of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order
In The problem of overcrowding in the Central Prisons is now on course to be resolved following the adoption by the Council of Ministers of the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Ms Anna Koukkidi Prokopiou.
In her statements after the Cabinet meeting, Ms. Prokopiou said that the proposal of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order envisages in the first phase the upgrading of the building facilities of the prisons.
As she noted: "overcrowding in prisons is a chronic problem which we will try to solve immediately with the cooperation of the Ministry of Transport, which has assisted in the costing of the works, but has also made it a top priority of the Department of Public Works, which will undertake the completion of the works."
The Minister of Justice added: "at the same time, the Council of Ministers has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order to start scientific studies necessary for the construction of another wing on the prison site. These two measures together are expected to alleviate in the long run the problem that we have been facing for years as the Republic of Cyprus, namely the overcrowding in the Central Prisons".
In response to a question about the timetable for upgrading the building facilities at the Central Prisons, the Justice and Public Order Minister said that the first phase concerning the upgrading of the existing facilities will hopefully be completed within a year, although this is not final because it is currently under study by the Department of Public Works. Regarding the second phase, which is the preparation of studies for the addition of new building infrastructure, the Justice Minister said she could not set a timetable. She stressed that the priority is the preparation of the study and then the approval of the Ministry of Finance will be needed for the implementation to be included in the Ministry of Transport's programme.
Ms Prokopiou added that with the completion of the first phase, 220 beds will be added to the prisons, while the Ministry of Justice and Public Order has already obtained approval for the recruitment of fifty new bailiffs, because, as she pointed out, there can be no upgrade in a security wing if the necessary staff is not available.
The Minister of Justice stressed that the final plan is to create a prison with a capacity of 1,200 persons which will meet the needs of the Republic of Cyprus in the long run. She noted that the prison currently houses 939 people while the numbers range between 950 and 1,050 people.
In response to a question whether the plan to build new prisons outside the city has been abandoned, Ms Prokopiou replied that the Ministry has found the previous plans but the land is no longer expropriated as it was then and there is currently no space for the implementation of that plan.
She pointed out that the cost of the building alone, based on that plan, was 120 million plus VAT ten years ago and now the cost, ten years later, has already increased and there is no land available either.
The Minister of Justice stressed that an immediate solution must be found and this is precisely the redevelopment of the prison area and at the same time the preparation of a study for the construction of a new wing in the prison.
(MB/SX)
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