Cyprus' planned new Central Prisons at Ayios Sozomenos will operate as a "small town" with capacity for 1,750 inmates, featuring education facilities, vocational training, rehabilitation services and a hospital, Justice and Public Order Minister Costas Fytiris said.
In an interview with Simerini tis Kyriakis, Fytiris said the new prison complex is being designed as a modern correctional institution rather than simply a large detention facility, adding that it would include all the infrastructure required for the functioning of a "small society".
The new facilities will include vocational training workshops, therapeutic programmes, rehabilitation units and a small hospital and treatment centre.
According to the minister, inmates will also be given employment opportunities, allowing them to receive training and acquire professional skills during their incarceration.
The complex is planned to accommodate 1,750 inmates, compared with the current facilities' capacity of about 650 to 700. The existing Central Prisons currently house around 1,200 people, he said.
Defendants awaiting trial, who account for roughly 30% of the current prison population, or about 400 people, will remain in two wings of the existing Central Prisons to facilitate transport to and from the courts.
The project is currently at the master plan stage, with Fytiris setting a target for "the bulldozers to move in" before the end of 2027.
He described the project as a five-year undertaking, although no specific completion date has yet been set.
On costs, the minister said the initial estimate could reach €300 million, with the final figure to be determined after studies and detailed designs are completed.
Addressing objections from local authorities and residents over the choice of Ayios Sozomenos as the site, Fytiris said he was open to consultation and that their views would be taken into account when the master plan is presented.
He stressed that the site is state-owned land and not a residential area.
Explaining the decision to abandon earlier plans for Mathiatis, the justice minister said the area would have required significant infrastructure works, including road, water and electricity networks, substantially increasing the project's cost.
Fytiris added that improvement works and upgrades continue at the existing Central Prisons to enhance detention conditions and the working environment for staff.
Source: CNA
