Greece: plan for early release of inmates to curb virus risk

The government has drafted a plan foreseeing the early release of up to 1,500 inmates in a bid to ease congestion in Greek prisons and lessen the chances of transmission of the coronavirus.

The measure, which would be introduced by means of a legislative act that does not require parliamentary approval, foresees the release of prisoners serving time for minor offenses who have up to a year of their terms left.

Already, the Citizens’ Protection Ministry has created isolation areas in prisons for suspicious cases and has also halted furloughs and the transfer of prisoners between penitentiaries.

However, the early release plan is an additional measure that will only be imposed once the authorities deem it is entirely necessary – that is in the event of a virus outbreak in one or more prisons.

Currently Greek prisons are hosting a total of 11,500 inmates though they are designed to accommodate up to 10,055.