The poor conditions in Central Prisons are highlighted in a report released today by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), which visited Cyprus last April.
The Committee says that the situation is still as bad as during its last visit in 2023. It notes several issues that don’t reflect well on the country, especially the living conditions for inmates, especially young ones. It also mentions efforts to improve things and asks for a plan to fix the chronic problems.
For perhaps the first time, the Committee raises a concerning point about prison control. The CPT points out a chronic shortage of frontline staff, “which has allowed stronger groups of inmates to take over and impose informal penalties, putting safety and order at risk. The Cypriot authorities urgently need to hire and train more staff to regain control of the prisons and rethink their policy on preventing violence.”
This now refers to practices of “hard” prisons, where inmates must join certain groups or face extra “penalties” beyond their sentence.
The report mentions single-occupancy cells hosting four people, with inmates forced to sleep on the floor. It highlights a lack of toilets in most cells, forcing inmates to use bottles for urination and plastic bags for excrement in some cases.
Special mention is made of juvenile offenders who stay in Central Prisons due to a lack of juvenile facilities, living in terrible conditions. The CPT found that juveniles are kept in cells and sleep on the floor surrounded by heavy mold.
The CPT says that most serious problems at the institution are linked to ongoing overcrowding, which harms detention conditions and inmate treatment. However, it notes a positive change since 2023: there were almost no complaints about physical mistreatment by staff.
On the other hand, the report states that overall physical security is still a concern. The situation regarding violence between inmates and staff negligence in protecting against such violence has not improved and even worsened in some areas.
The CPT stresses the need for immediate action to review violence prevention policies in prisons and hire and train more frontline staff to tackle these issues.
Regarding living conditions, the CPT found severe overcrowding. In some cells, like those in wing 10A, many inmates sleep on mattresses on the floor, with up to four inmates crammed into cells just 5.5 square meters meant for one person.
Additionally, access to toilets remains a problem as more than half of the cells still lack sanitary facilities inside. As a result, at night, due to not enough staff to let inmates out for block toilets, inmates had to urinate in bottles or defecate in bags within crowded cells—conditions described by the CPT as “degrading.”
The daily routine remains positive, allowing inmates to spend most of their day outside their cells. There has been a slight increase in activities and training offered. However, regular access to useful activities, education, and organized sports was not possible for many inmates.
The Committee stressed that Central Prisons were an inappropriate place for detaining children, urging their swift transfer to better juvenile facilities as soon as possible. The Committee also suggested measures to improve conditions for female inmates, focusing on gender-specific needs.
Regarding healthcare, except for hiring a psychiatrist, there were no significant improvements since the 2023 visit. Medical confidentiality remained an issue as guards continued distributing medications instead of nurses, with inadequate injury recording.
The CPT demands measures through its report for creating proper suicide and self-harm prevention policies and developing strategies regarding substance use. Furthermore, it found no actions taken to change temporary disciplinary isolation systems or address issues with disciplinary procedures and notable due process guarantee deficiencies.
The CPT also found no effective inmate complaint system existed. As noted in 2023, many inmates said their complaints went unanswered while internal complaint systems did not follow confidentiality, effectiveness, and traceability principles.
The report is being reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and new Minister Kostas Fytiris, with an initial response expected soon regarding the Committee’s many observations.
