In a report following a January 2025 visit, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has highlighted persistent and severe failings within the Greek prison system, while acknowledging recent government efforts to initiate reform.
Greek prisons and detainees
The CPT found that conditions in many male prisons fall short of minimum legal standards. Issues include chronic overcrowding—with cells often exceeding intended capacity—and deteriorating infrastructure. Facilities are frequently infested with vermin, damp, cold, and lack basic sanitary access or functioning hot water. Dangerously low staffing levels in key prisons like Korydallos and Chania have exacerbated inter-prisoner violence and weakened security.
Conditions for female detainees were described as equally concerning. The report criticized the underuse of non-custodial alternatives for women, including those pregnant or with young children. Investigators documented poor material conditions, inadequate access to healthcare (particularly psychiatric care), and credible allegations of physical ill-treatment by custodial staff. The report explicitly linked a lack of psychiatric oversight to several deaths and suicides within women’s facilities in 2024 and 2025.
Police conduct
The CPT also received credible allegations of physical ill-treatment by police, including punching, kicking, and head-banging, often aimed at coercing confessions.
The Committee emphasized the urgent need to foster a professional policing culture, implement electronic recording of interviews, and ensure greater accountability. It further noted that material conditions in police detention centers remain inadequate for extended stays.
A path forward
Despite these critical findings, the CPT noted a positive shift in dialogue with Greek authorities. Following discussions in June 2025, the government presented a comprehensive 2025–2030 Action Plan for the recovery of the prison system.
The CPT characterized this plan as a “significant step forward,” noting that the Greek government has engaged constructively and begun implementing many of the Committee’s recommendations.
The Committee continues to urge Greece to prioritize reducing prison populations, increasing staffing levels, and investing in comprehensive healthcare reform to move away from systemic conditions that the CPT views as potentially amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment.
Related: Greece to Release 2,500 Inmates With Electronic Tags Amid Prison Overcrowding
