Justice Ministry lines up backup site for new prison amid Mathiatis objections

Economy NicosiaprisonsTop News Justice Ministry lines up backup site for new prison amid Mathiatis objections Fitiris Filakes 1536x922 Relevant News Justice Ministry lines up backup site for new prison amid Mathiatis objections 5 August 2026 Reshuffle strengthens DIKO and DISY presence in cabinet 5 August 2026 Rift widens between DISY and Christodoulides ahead of presidential race 5 August 2026 Michalis Hadjivasilis 5 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus’s Ministry of Justice and Public Order is no longer committed solely to its original plan for a new prison at Mathiatis-Kataliontas and has put a second site on the table, according to information gathered by Phileleftheros. The alternative site, recently discussed by the committee set up to handle the project, would come into play if objections from the Mathiatis community are not overcome. It is an isolated plot in the Agios Sozomenos area of Nicosia, with no nearby homes and no anticipated problems with local reactions. The land is state-administered Turkish Cypriot property, meaning no expropriations would be needed, unlike at Mathiatis, where some areas could be affected. According to the same sources, the ministry’s Plan B was designed so that if the Mathiatis community does not lift its objections to the project, an alternative would be immediately available, avoiding further delay in finding a site and drawing up plans. Mathiatis residents to see master plan in September Officials have decided to present the project’s master plan to Mathiatis residents within September. The preliminary spatial plan will show what the new prison, access roads, building complex and possible environmental impact would look like, so residents can be informed. The Mathiatis community council is not opposed to the project in principle but wants full details before making a final decision, after informing residents likely to be affected. The new site in Agios Sozomenos, covering an area of several thousand square metres, was shown to officials from the relevant services last Friday at a meeting on advancing the project. No nearby properties appear to be affected, and the buffer zone lies at a distance. €300 million project announced in March The new prison for Mathiatis was announced in Parliament last March by Justice Minister Costas Fytiris, in response to decades of accumulated problems at the existing prison, where overcrowding has raised serious human rights concerns. According to the minister, the estimated cost stands at around €300 million, with capacity for up to 1,500 inmates. Under the most ambitious estimates, construction would begin by the end of 2027, what the minister called getting “the bulldozers” moving, with completion within five years. An earlier plan for a new prison, drawn up under former minister Ionas Nicolaou, was abandoned over cost after being estimated at €100 million, seen as prohibitive at the time. Other solutions were tried instead but failed to keep pace, mainly because of a rising prison population and the limited use of alternative sentences to imprisonment. A separate plan, drawn up under former minister Marios Hartsiotis, had proposed a new prison near the existing complex with capacity for 360 people, at a cost of €70 million, to be completed in phases by 2028. That plan was scrapped when Fytiris took over the ministry and a political decision was made to build an entirely new Central Prison at the higher cost of €300 million. Financing talks under way The ministry has already been in contact with the Council of Europe Development Bank over financing, and the Justice Minister met a delegation from the bank on June 10. The bank is expected to play a substantial role in the project’s technical preparation, offering guidance and expertise based on its experience with similar projects. Under the plans, the new prison would have high-security fencing, with a buffer zone of 40 to 60 metres around the facilities. Officials have visited several countries to assess prison models, and the most likely scenario is that Cyprus will follow the British model of prison administration and operation. Three types of prison planned The new complex would include three types of facility, mirroring the structure of the existing prison: A closed, maximum-security unit with strict movement controls and continuous surveillance, for inmates convicted of serious criminal offences. A semi-open unit for lower-risk inmates, with controlled freedom of movement, work and education. An open unit with minimal physical restrictions, focused on productive activity and preparing inmates for reintegration into society. New plans for juvenile detention The Justice Ministry is also drawing up new plans for a juvenile detention facility, to hold children in conflict with the law. Officials say decisions here are close to final, given tight time constraints: legislation on children in conflict with the law has been in force since 2021, and the detention facility was originally meant to be ready by 2022. Earlier plans had proposed housing the juvenile facility at the Mennoyia holding cells. The Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights, the Public Works Department and other services had visited the site to plan a child-friendly redesign. However, work has not yet begun, since the cells only recently emptied out after illegal migrants held there were moved to Limnes. Because of the resulting delay, those plans have also changed. According to Phileleftheros sources, the Mennoyia holding cells will instead become a wing of the main prison, while the juvenile facility will be built on a site near the current prison at Agios Andreas, but outside the main complex. Given the small number of expected detainees, up to 15, prefabricated child-friendly buildings may be used on an open site that has already been identified. This would allow the juvenile facility to open relatively soon, in a location outside the closed prison, in line with what the CPT Committee has requested. The Central Prison currently holds around 1,150 people, with a further 120 or so held in police holding cells. Most inmates have been convicted of drug trafficking, property offences or sexual crimes. 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