“Corruption phenomena from wherever they come from cannot and will not be tolerated. Corruption, dishonesty and immorality are red lines for us”
At the center of different issues is often the penitentiary. The idiosyncrasies and particularities of a place such as the Central Prisons are many. It is, however, admitted that in recent months the picture seems to be changing and specific timetables have been set to alleviate overcrowding by building new spaces. The new deputy director of the Central Prisons, Haris Filippides, in an interview with “P”, refers to the three main goals that have been set and the three main problems. Regarding the threats and criminal actions against the prison staff, Mr. Filippides sent the message that “nothing and no one is going to distract us”.
Almost six months in the post of deputy director of the Central Prisons. An admittedly difficult position. What are your goals and vision for the penitentiary?
Indeed, being at the helm of the Prisons is a huge challenge in itself. Fine balances are needed in the management of the prisoner population, prison staff and building facilities. Prison guards must be constantly on call (on a 24-hour basis) and able to provide immediate solutions to the problems of a large number of adults, with many specificities. My vision is to make our Prisons safer, both for the staff who work and for the people who are here, while at the same time enhancing the sense of safety in society. To create the prison institution of tomorrow, with decent detention conditions, but mainly reform and reintegration.
Our goals as a correctional facility are threefold, which are fully aligned with the goals of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order: (a) the modernization of our prison system, (b) tackling overcrowding and (c) tackling corruption and of organized crime within the Prisons.
Having formed a comprehensive picture of the Central Prisons, what are the most important problems you have to face?
< p >The most important problems facing our penitentiary today are overcrowding, the transportation of prohibited items inside the Prisons and the organization of criminal activities in the free society. However, it should be pointed out that the exact same problems plague most prisons and correctional institutions around the world. These are complex phenomena and it is no coincidence that they are perennially on national and international agendas, since no country has been able to get rid of them once and for all. We, as a management, have made our plans for how we will deal with each problem separately, so that we get the desired results both in the short term and in the long term. In this effort, the contribution of the Ministry of Justice is very important and essential.
Especially the issue of overpopulation causes other problems. What actions are being taken on the issue of overpopulation and what else do you think should be done?
I couldn't agree more with what you are saying. Undoubtedly, at the moment the most serious problem we face is overpopulation. The increase in incidents of violence among prisoners, as well as the weakening of our efforts to reform and reintegrate convicts into society are just some of the problems directly linked to overcrowding. All of this drastically increases the stress on prison guards, with all the negative consequences.
I believe that the actions taken in this matter will mitigate the current situation to a very large extent. Already in February this year, the renovation and upgrading of the facilities of the New Open Prison (with a capacity of 40 places) were completed, while just last month the new Out-of-Institutional Employment and Rehabilitation Center for Prisoners was completed and delivered ready for use, which will be able to accommodate up to 40 prisoners. Prisoners in this program work in free society under labor market conditions, return to the center to sleep at night, and take weekends off to be with their families. On the other hand, the works to create a new Closed Prison are in full progress. With the completion of the work, which is expected to be done within the coming October, approximately 240 new positions will be created. Upon completion of this phase, we will have a significant percentage (around 30%) of decongestion of our existing cells.
In addition to the above, the process for the construction of an additional Closed Prison is also at an advanced stage. With this new prison, which will be created with modern facilities, based on international standards, by 2028 we will have an additional 350 places, which will effectively solve the problem of overcrowding. All the building projects are part of the wider policy of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, to deal with the problem of overpopulation.
In early July, a bomb exploded in the car of an officer serving in Prisons. Are measures taken to ensure that staff feel safe and continue to carry out their duties unhindered?
Both I personally, as well as my close associates, but especially all the prison guards, are completely committed to the goals we have set. Cowardly and cowardly actions such as the one you refer to only have the opposite effect, since they make even more stubborn the staff, who now act as a solid team. Nothing and no one is going to distract us and as the Minister of Justice stated, the state will be relentless against such actions. With the opportunity you are giving me, I would like to express my satisfaction to the Police and in particular to the investigators of the TAE Nicosia for the methodical and professional manner they demonstrated in the handling of this particular case, which resulted, for the first time, in criminal action against a jailer, to be brought to court with specific suspects. As you will have seen, the state stands by actions and not just words, next to the prison guards and supports them in the admittedly very difficult task they have to perform. The staff feels this, hence they continue to perform their duty unaffected. The work of Prison staff, due to the nature of the profession, is far from the sphere of public debate. But for prisoners this work is vital because it gives them the support they need to re-integrate into society as sane thinking citizens after their release. Therefore, the creation and maintenance of a safe environment, for the staff, has substantial effects on the prisoners as well, but most importantly, it is also directly intertwined with the safety of society in general.
By having a number of jailers available you send the message of zero tolerance for corruption. How is this handled by Prison staff?
As the new Directorate of Prisons, from the first moment we have boldly stated that corruption phenomena from wherever they come from cannot and will not be tolerated. Corruption, dishonesty and immorality are red lines for us. Personally, I also attach great importance to discipline, which I believe plays a key role in making us all more efficient in our daily work. Certainly the staff do not feel pleasure when there is a need for disciplinary action or the availability of a prison guard. No one is happy, let alone the boss. The actions of a very small number of staff certainly do not represent the majority of prison guards, nor do they represent the authorities of the Department of Prisons. However, I can also characterize them as a necessary evil, since they also act as a reminder to everyone that no one is above the law. The vast majority of staff are conscientious, honest and fully respond to the trust of the State to carry out their work. I believe in them and I am proud to work with them. At the same time, however, I am not going to discount any abuse of that trust, no matter where it comes from. The prison guards know this and I can say that I am pleased that they have responded very positively to my initial call to improve things in the Prisons.
Checks to detect mobile phones and drugs inside the Prisons have been intensified. What actions does the prison management take to prevent the transfer of mobile phones and drugs?
First of all, let's say that the introduction and use of drugs in prisons around the world, even in prisons that are considered to be security standards, is a widespread problem. Unfortunately, our country and our own Prisons could not be the exception. This is a very worrying problem, since the use of illegal substances by the vulnerable population inside the Prisons, leads with mathematical precision to multiple and consecutive serious risks. On the other hand, the use of mobile phones puts in immediate danger the safety of all those who live and work inside the Prisons (guards and prisoners), but also outside in the free society. Through mobile phones, it is possible to organize and carry out serious crimes, inside and outside Prisons. It is precisely for these reasons that dealing with the transport and use of mobile phones, as well as narcotics within Prisons, is high on our priorities. We attach great importance to the upgrading of our business capabilities, and we are working in this direction. We have recently reviewed and strengthened the measures we are taking at all levels. Measures aimed both at preventing the introduction of, and at identifying and removing from our Prisons, such items. Our aim is to minimize the problem and where possible to eliminate it completely. Our efforts in this matter are continuous and intensive. There is absolutely no complacency, as that would be disastrous. In this context, we have increased the checks of all persons entering the Prison facilities, as well as carrying out on a daily basis unannounced checks inside the cells, as well as in common areas. For obvious reasons I would not like to expand further on all the measures we are taking, but I believe that as a result, they are paying off to a fairly satisfactory degree.
At what stage is the process of getting the cell phone deactivation system up and running?
Procedures to acquire the cell phone deactivation system I believe are on track. The planning we have done, with the cooperation of all the relevant agencies of the state, is to have the new shutdown system installed and fully operational by the end of 2025. You understand that this is a very important development for us and we hope that, this time , things will go well and according to the timetables we have set. As I have said several times, the core of any actions by the Prisons Directorate is to ensure public safety, the protection of the community if you will. In closing, I will repeat that there is the determination and determination to achieve the high goals we have set. We have a specific direction and we are doing our best to improve the current situation of our country's penitentiary institution.
