Greece will launch its nationwide Ankle Monitor Program for prison inmates this month, as authorities seek to reduce long-standing overcrowding across the country’s correctional facilities. The Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection said the electronic monitoring system will officially take effect on May 18.
Under the new measure, courts will allow certain pretrial detainees, convicted prisoners and inmates on leave to remain outside prison under electronic surveillance. Eligibility will depend on strict judicial criteria, and the program will apply only to inmates who authorities do not consider dangerous.
Officials said many of the roughly 25% of inmates currently held in pretrial custody could qualify for monitored release.
Greece’s ankle monitor program moves from pilot to nationwide rollout
Authorities previously tested the ankle-monitor system on about 30 inmates in Athens and Thessaloniki.
During the pilot phase, participants had to pay for the service themselves. Under the nationwide rollout, however, the state will provide the monitoring free of charge to those placed under electronic surveillance.
According to the ministry, the devices continuously transmit the wearer’s location. The system immediately alerts authorities if a person violates movement restrictions or attempts to tamper with the device.
The measure gives courts an additional alternative to detention and aims to ease pressure on Greece’s overcrowded prison system.
Greece invests in new prisons as inmate numbers rise
Alongside the electronic monitoring program, Greece is moving ahead with the construction of ten new correctional facilities, with a total budget of €268 million, or about $317 million.
The planned sites include Chalkida, Nea Anchialos, Corfu, Filiates and the Voio region of Kozani. Authorities are also upgrading existing prisons with enhanced electronic access control and systems that disable unauthorized mobile phone communications.
Overcrowding intensifies across the prison system
According to official data, Greek prisons currently hold 13,535 inmates, while their designed capacity stands at 10,763.
Occupancy levels vary sharply between institutions. Some facilities operate below capacity, including the agricultural prison of Tiryntha, which stands at 67.5%. Others face extreme overcrowding, including Komotini at 210.4%, the youth prison of Volos at 246.2% and Tripoli at 228.3%.
The inmate population has climbed rapidly in recent years, rising from 11,484 on January 1, 2025, to the current total of 13,535.
By comparison, overall prison occupancy rates stand at around 118% in Italy, 123% in France and 132% in Cyprus. Greece recorded occupancy rates of 119.34% in 2015 and 107.24% in 2019, showing how sharply overcrowding has intensified once again.
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