Prison

An inmate in Athens' high security Korydallos prison was found dead by other detainees on Monday morning.

Police is investigating the cause of the 50-year-old man's death and examining whether his passing is due to drug use. 

An inmate at the Greek capital's Korydallos Prison reportedly hung himself in his cell on Friday while waiting to be transferred to a different facility.

The 61-year-old was being held temporarily at the prison's psychiatric wing as transfers between prisons have been suspended until after the European and local elections at the end of the month.

An inmate of Trikala Prison in central Greece died on Friday, possibly as a result of a head injury sustained during a fight with a fellow convict.

The 66-year-old was dead by the time prison authorities could get him to hospital, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) reported, quoting local sources.

In eight EU countries, however, there are still crowded prisons, reported NOVA TV. 

The number of prisoners in Europe has sharply decreased between 2016 and early 2018. Eight countries, including France, are still facing "serious overcrowding problems" in prisons. This is the study of the Council of Europe.

An internal probe was launched on Wednesday at Attica's high-security Korydallos Prison following the death of a 48-year-old inmate in his cell.

The Greek prisoner, who was serving a life sentence for murder, is believed to have died of a heart attack, according to prison medics, though a coroner was to rule on the exact cause of death.

Prisons received money to appoint 134 new staff, and the Court Guards - for additional staff of 66 people. This was decided by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. The aim is to secure the functions assigned to them by law, and the increase is provided in the budget of the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry has three months to appoint new people.

The significance of the latest death of a prisoner at Korydallos, the largest correctional facility in the country, extends beyond the regular crime news. It was the third death at the prison this month.

The image of poor security at the country's prisons causes damage both domestically and abroad.

As a series of recent incidents demonstrate, the situation in the country's prisons has gotten completely out of hand.

The Greek state appears to have completely lost control. Basic standards of discipline and security are being disregarded. Facilities are at the mercy of criminal gangs.

As the search continued on Wednesday for two inmates who broke out of Attica's high-security Korydallos prison late on Tuesday, the Justice Ministry said it had ordered a probe to determine whether prison staff should be held responsible for the escape.

A manhunt is underway for two prisoners who broke out of Attica's high-security Korydallos jail in the early hours of Wednesday.

The two inmates, both Albanian convicts serving terms for burglary and theft, are believed to have used a makeshift grappling hook and a rope to vault over the perimeter fence.

Their absence was noticed at the Wednesday morning roll-call.