Prison leave, especially for terrorists, to become stricter

A draft bill that was presented for public discussion on Friday and is expected to be submitted in Parliament soon foresees stricter terms for the conditional release from prison of offenders convicted of terrorism as well as more lenient treatment for those who return money swindled from the state.

The bill, drafted by the Justice Ministry, dictates that terrorism convicts serving life sentences cannot be given conditional release until they have served at least 20 years of their term and that the first 10 years of the sentence must be served in a high-security prison and without the right to furloughs.

Domoko jail in central Greece is to become the first prison to operate according to the new regulations, detaining dangerous detainees and convicts without the right to parole. The plan is for all those convicted or facing trial for terrorism, treason and other serious crimes to be transferred to Domoko prison.

The reform drive follows the recent disappearance of several inmates including convicted November 17 hit man Christodoulos Xeros, who violated the terms of a prison furlough in January.

The bill tightening the authorities’ grip on serious criminals also contains a provision allowing those who return money swindled from the state to be spared prison time.