Cyprus justice ministry plans new prison and juvenile detention facilities

On October 26, 2026, the Cypriot Minister of Justice, Costas Fytiris, presented the ministry's 2027 budget to the parliamentary Finance Committee, outlining significant infrastructure projects. The government plans to construct a new central prison facility at Agios Sozomenos with a capacity for at least 1,500 inmates, at an estimated cost of 300 million euros. The 2027 budget includes an initial allocation of over one million euros to proceed with studies and planning. The project, intended to address long-term prison overcrowding, will feature four detention wings, medical, educational, and sports facilities, as well as religious spaces. The ministry clarified that the preliminary designs presented were purely illustrative and not the finalized master plan, with further consultations scheduled with local municipalities.

Simultaneously, the ministry announced an immediate shift in policy for juvenile detention. Abandoning previous plans for a facility in Menogeia, the government will instead install prefabricated units next to the current central prisons by October 2027 to house the estimated 10 to 30 minor inmates. The site at Menogeia will be repurposed as police holding cells to alleviate 180% capacity pressure in current police stations. The session also addressed concerns regarding security, noting that over 90 mobile phones were confiscated from prisons by April, while highlighting that 60% of the current inmate population consists of foreign nationals.