The governors of three prisons – high-security Korydallos, southwestern Athens, and facilities in Halkida and Tripoli – have said they will not take in any more inmates as overcrowding has reached dangerous levels.
In a joint letter to judicial authorities, the prison governors said on Monday that they are unable to accommodate any more inmates, even temporarily, due to excessively cramped conditions, which pose a health and security risk. “There’s no space anywhere except the bathrooms,” wrote Spyros Athanassiou, governor of Halkida prison. A similar tone was struck by Ioannis Anestis, the governor of Korydallos, which has seen a series of security breaches recently including a hostage-taking incident last month.
“We are unable to receive inmates due to the suffocating overcrowding of our institution,” he said. More than 12,700 people are in detention in Greek jails, most of which are filled to at least double their capacity.
Source: Kathimerini