Cypriot officials have made a big change to their plans. They will not build a new prison just for young people. Instead, they will focus on solving the problem of too many people in the main prison. The Justice Minister said the planned youth prison at Mennogeia will now be used for adult prisoners. Young detainees will stay in a smaller, separate area in the current Central Prison.
This change happened because building the special youth prison took too long. It was supposed to be finished more than a year ago. The first plan was for a large prison for 128 young people. However, Minister Fytiris said this big plan had to be stopped. This was necessary to help the busy central jail. The Mennogeia site, which was for migrants and young offenders, will now be for adult prisoners.
There are several reasons for this new plan. The number of people in the Central Prison is very high. The Council of Europe has said this is a serious problem. By using the Mennogeia site for adults, officials hope to make space. Also, the "Special 8" area for inmates under 21 will be moved. This will give more room in the prison.
The number of young people in prison in Cyprus is usually small. It is often between fifteen and twenty. Because there are not many young detainees, a big new prison was not a good idea. The new plan is to keep these young people separate from older criminals. This is important to protect them. The area in the Central Prison will be outside the main high-security part.
In another related plan, authorities will send foreign nationals without proper papers home quickly. The first part of the Limnes Pre-departure Centre is ready. Migrants at the Mennogeia site will move there. Undocumented foreign nationals will only stay in police cells for four days. This will help remove them from the island faster. These actions aim to reduce problems and make the prison system work better.