Our woeful jails are a cause for shame
It took another tragic incident to make us address the chronic problems of Korydallos Prison. The fact that this institution accommodates an excessive number of inmates has long been acknowledged. But the problem is now spilling across the entire penitentiary system, which will soon be obliged to absorb some 3,660 foreign convicts. Meanwhile, the number of prison guards on duty, particularly during the nightshift, is woefully small – so small that it has become virtually impossible to conduct an effective prison inspection. Evidently, it was fear that stopped the prison guard from reacting immediately to yesterday’s fatal cell blaze. It goes without saying that Korydallos has no fire detection system. The problem has now become extremely difficult to resolve. It is not only suppliers and locals who object to the relocation of Korydallos. It is also lawyers from Athens and Piraeus who are reluctant to travel out of Attica. The problem will only be solved should we manage to decongest all jails. Only then will it be possible to conduct efficient inspections. Successive PASOK governments had heralded an initiative for the construction of nine new prison complexes but, in fact, construction work has only begun on one. Continuing with this program, the current government reached an agreement with authorities in Tirana to fund the construction of a modern jail in Albania that would accommodate about 1,800 Albanian convicts currently serving long sentences in Greek jails. But, so far, we have yet to see any concrete results. Evidently, Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras cannot afford to fix the massive shortcomings in the infrastructure and operation of our prison system. On the other hand, he has been in his post for more than two years and must shoulder some of the blame for the backward conditions in many jails. After all, whether a country is civilized or not can be judged from the quality of its prisons.
