Justice Ministry pledges additional 3 mln euros to improve prisons
The Justice Ministry on Thursday pledged to allot an additional 3 million euros by the end of the year for improving conditions at the country’s prisons, which have been criticized by rights groups for failing to adhere to European standards.
Speaking at a two-day educational program organized with the Council of Europe in Athens, Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis said that improving detention conditions and reintegration facilities was among the government’s priorities.
“The circumstances are by no means ideal but we have a duty as a leftist government to do a lot more in basic areas of the welfare state, such as correctional policy,” Kontonis said.
