Xanthopoulos: “Greek prisons on the brink of a humanitarian crisis – Overcrowding exceeds 122%”
A parliamentary question regarding the overcrowding of correctional facilities and detention conditions has been submitted by SYRIZA MP for Drama, and Shadow Minister of Interior, Theofilos Xanthopoulos, addressed to the Minister for Citizen Protection.
According to official data from November 3, 2025, Greek prisons currently hold 13,237 inmates, despite an official capacity of 10,763, resulting in 122.9% occupancy — that is, 2,474 more inmates than the system is designed to accommodate.
The situation has worsened dramatically over the past year: on January 1, 2025, the prison population stood at 11,484, meaning an increase of 1,753 inmates in just ten months.
Xanthopoulos noted that the problem is not evenly distributed across facilities. While the Tiryntha Agricultural Prison operates at 67.5% capacity, others face extreme overcrowding — Gümülcine: 210.4%, Volos Juvenile Prison: 246.2%, and Tripoli: 228.3%.
The SYRIZA-PS official stressed that such conditions “constitute a direct violation of human rights”, worsening the already poor living standards of inmates and placing unbearable strain on prison staff, with serious implications for safety and order.
In his parliamentary question, Xanthopoulos calls on the Minister to clarify:
