Food shortages in Greek prisons

Greece: Food Shortage in Peloponnesian Prisons Due to State Budget Cuts

Detainees are malnourished and literally surviving on the charity of local communities

Greek Reporter,

29 May, 2012

Amidst the deepening financial crisis, the state budget for many prisons has decreased to a minimum for some months now resulting in hundreds of detainees being malnourished and literally surviving on the charity of local communities, a Proto Thema article reveals.

The latest example is the prison in Corinth where there’s a supply stoppage from the nearby military camp, and prisoners are about to starve reports prison staff, since not even one grain of rice has been left in their warehouses. The prison staff reports they haven’t received any state funds for the last three months.

A few days earlier, the commander of the camp announced to prison management the transportation stoppage, citing lack of food supplies even for the soldiers, and had shut down the last source of supply for 84 prisoners. The response of some Corinth citizens was immediate as they took it upon themselves to support the prisoners, since all protests to the Justice Ministry were fruitless.

In the past few days, groups of Corinth residents have started collecting food as a small token of solidarity and respect to people who may be denied certain rights by the justice system.

The Corinth prison is in need of rice, pasta, frozen meat and eggs. The prisons in Patra and Alikarnassos have also been experiencing food supply problems lately, as the prisoners who cannot afford to buy food from the prison canteen are left without food.