OPINION

Overhauling the prison system

Public safety depends to a large degree on the state of the country’s prisons, which are admittedly in a complete shambles and unable to cope with the mounting pressure.

Recent events such as the escape of November 17 convict Christodoulos Xeros while on furlough, together with past incidents of a similar nature, show that the situation at Greece’s prisons has burgeoned beyond the authorities’ control and must be addressed before it is too late.

There has been no shortage of discussions about the need for new high-security prisons, a complete overhaul of the country’s existing penitentiaries and tougher regulations for specific categories of inmates, such as terrorists and murderers.

Surely the events of the past few days prove it is high time that these plans left the drawing board and were finally put into effect.

Sure, there will be the usual reactions against new prisons and tougher rules, but these cannot be put first.

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