Prison chief shifts juvenile detention plans to tackle overcrowding

Justice Minister Costas Fytiris has ordered an immediate U-turn on plans for a new juvenile prison in Mennogeia as authorities scramble to manage critical overcrowding in the central jail. Fytiris told Phileleftheros that because the number of juvenile detainees is currently low—between 15 and 20—it was deemed inefficient to “sacrifice” a facility capable of holding 128 people. Consequently, the Mennogeia site, originally intended for illegal migrants and young offenders, will...