New prison decongestion bill to introduce community service

New legislation being drafted by the ministries of Citizens’ Protection and Justice includes a measure aimed at decongesting Greece’s overpopulated prisons.

Under the new rules, some 1,500 prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes such as tax evasion will be given the option of offering community service rather than sitting out their sentences behind bars.

Greece’s prisons are currently hosting some 11,400 inmates when their capacity is for a maximum 9,700.

The community service option is part of an ongoing overhaul of the penal code and is expected to go into effect in the first half of the year. The move is also seen aiding understaffed local government agencies.