Cyprus has recorded the highest prison overcrowding rate in the European Union, according to new data released by Eurostat. The country’s prisons are operating at 227.6 per cent occupancy, meaning facilities are holding more than double the number of inmates they were designed to accommodate.
According to cyprus-mail.com, the figure is significantly higher than the next most overcrowded prison systems in Slovenia and France, which reported occupancy rates of 134.2 per cent and 129.3 per cent respectively. By contrast, Estonia recorded the lowest rate in the bloc at 49.9 per cent.
The findings come amid growing concerns over conditions at Cyprus’ central prison in Nicosia. Justice Minister Costas Fitiris said last month that detention facilities across the island are full and authorities are “trying to find solutions,” including plans to build a new prison near the village of Mathiatis.
A recent report by the Council of Europe’s committee for the prevention of torture highlighted “serious problems” at the prison, including overcrowding, violence between inmates and staff shortages. The committee said living conditions “remain very poor” and noted that up to four prisoners share cells measuring less than six square metres, with some inmates sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
The report also raised concerns over the treatment of minors in custody, describing their living conditions as “unsuitable and unhygienic,” while noting that conditions at the Pournara migrant reception centre had improved since 2023.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
