Prison furlough to be made easier and longer

Prosecutors will no longer be able to veto prisoners’ right to furlough, according to a draft bill seeking to reform the country’s prison rules.

The bill, which is expected to be put to a vote in Parliament in the next few weeks, also stipulates that furloughs will have a longer duration and will be granted earlier.

The legislation has been in the making for some eight years and builds on a previous bill drafted in 2010 under the supervision of criminology professor and former minister Yiannis Panousis.