Law being drafted to abolish C-type prisons, help addicts

Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos is drafting legislation to close down the maximum-security prison at Domokos, central Greece, opened just a few months ago to hold the country?s most dangerous criminals. The plan is to return the facility to usual operation and to equip all penitentiaries with special high-security areas.

?The prison at Domokos will continue to operate as a prison but without abolishing the rights of its inmates,? Paraskevopoulos told Alpha radio on Friday. ?An inmate?s incarceration in a C-type prison is additional punishment.?

Domokos Prison has come under fire from activists because of its stricter incarceration terms.

The same draft law will abolish the holding of minors unless they face a life sentence and provide more favorable terms for offenders who are elderly, disabled, sick or addicted to drugs. Drug use will also be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, and offenders will have the option of rehabilitation in lieu of prison time.