Alarm over crowded prisons
The situation in Greece?s correctional facilities is very grim indeed and extremely alarming.
The number of prisoners has skyrocketed over the past few years, while a large percentage of inmates is made up of illegal immigrants who have been ordered to leave the country regardless of any sentence they face.
Cash-strapped Greece cannot afford to operate newly built prisons, while staff shortages are also a pressing problem.
As a result, successive political administrations have sought to relieve the correctional system through the early release of inmates, which, of course, means that dangerous criminals do not have to wait long before they get back to business.
Overcrowding in Greek prisons must be tackled without further delay, either by turning unused camps into detention centers for soon-to-be-deported inmates, or by operating the new jails.
Or, worse, the country will soon be faced with dangerous uprisings that will test public safety.
