THE NICOSIA Central Prisons remain overcrowded, but the situation is slowly but gradually changing for the better, the House Human Rights Committee heard yesterday.
Permanent Secretary of the Justice Ministry Andys Tryfonides and Central Prison Governor Michalis Hadjidemetriou told deputies the prison currently had 601 inmates, almost double its capacity of 340.
However, Tryfonides informed the Committee that, despite the limited nature of work, the number of prison cells was increasing by 10 to 15 per cent a year. Within a few years, he added, the situation would have improved.
In comparison with other European prisons, conditions at the Central Prisons cannot be described “negatively”, said Tryfonides.
“There are problems, which we are seriously evaluating, and the main source of these problems is overpopulation,” he said.
“These problems create dangers and put the smooth operation of the prison in danger too.”
To resolve the overpopulation problem, Tryfonides suggested the creation of new establishments and an increase in the number of prison cells, something that takes “time and money”.
The budget for the prison in the past two or three years had been very low, he said, but when pressed after the meeting by reporters, he said it was “more productive to talk about the future rather than the past”
“What I can say is that in the 2007 development budget, the prison, police and Justice Ministry will have enough resources.”
In other areas, Tryfonides told the committee that there had been an increase in prison nurses and generally in medical services, offering medical and psychological support to inmates.
There has also been significant progress in the occupation and entertainment of inmates, while a special service has been created for them to make complaints.
“There are 15 boxes in various areas of the prison for this purpose, where anyone can submit a written complaint to the Ombudswoman, Justice Ministry, Central Prison Committee or organisations for prisoners’ rights”, Tryfonides explained.
Special attention has been given to the segregation of underage prisoners from others, while drug addicts or prisoners with psychological disorders are given separate residence and rehabilitation programmes.
Tryfonides concluded that he himself had made sure that prison food was improved by enabling the inmates to help in the preparation of the food. These prisoners are given help by expert chefs – which gives them the knowledge and experience to pursue a career after they have been released, he added.
Committee Chairman Sophoclis Fyttis of DIKO later told reporters that the overall conclusion of the meeting was that there had indeed been improvement in certain areas, but in others there has been no improvement – such as in construction works.
“But we have heard that there have been improvements in the buildings, so that the problem is gradually being resolved,” he added.
The DIKO deputy promised that matter would continue to occupy the Human Rights Committee, whose members are scheduled to visit the Central Prison soon and observe the situation for themselves.
