The Member of Parliament for Fthiotida of New Democracy, Yiannis Oikonomou, emphasized in his speech to the Parliament on the Ministry of Justice Bill that the change will lead to an acceleration of the issuance of decisions and a substantial imposition of penalties.

“The causes of the outbreak are our multiple social, educational, economic, family, cultural and value failures, especially in the difficult period 2010-2021.

Addressing the pandemic of violence is urgent, because unfortunately there are already dead, which are very likely to increase as long as there is no reduction in incidents of violence and insecurity. One strand of the response is interventions in schools, families and mass culture. The Government has already taken initiatives in this field with the participation of the scientific community, which include a range of measures.

It is therefore necessary to intervene in another area of ​​the problem, in which we are demonstrably disadvantaged. And this is the speed of justice and the execution of sentences. After all, it has been known since the 18th century that punishments are imposed not only to punish the offender, but more to set an example to others and prevent illegality.
Today despite the significant improvements made in the past, there are still cases where the message you are giving is that of impunity. And this leads to two consequences: on the one hand it encourages the lawless, multiplying violence and lawlessness, and on the other hand it discourages and frightens the law-abiding.

We therefore need to put in place a regulatory framework that will ensure that the penalties imposed are actually served. Indeed, how many times have we not been confronted with offenses that attack property and property such as incidents of theft, fraud, embezzlement, with crimes against life and bodily integrity, which are directed against ordinary citizens as well as against law enforcement agencies and which their authors have no effect on the substance.

And this happens either because of the possibility of granting suspension of the execution of the sentence even for serious crimes or the time that elapses from the initiation of the criminal prosecution to the trial, during which the conditions are created so that cases are presented to the judge differently from how they happened.

The result of these pathologies in the administration of criminal justice is that these incidents are repeated, but also that a sense of futility is created in terms of their suppression.

With the law we are passing today, we are taking important steps in two directions:

  1. Speeding up the adjudication of cases and the speedy delivery of sentences when the accused is found guilty. Of course with respect to specific principles, the principle of legal certainty, the protection of fundamental human rights and the rights of defense of the accused, the principle of seeking the truth with a thorough investigation of the case and the correct imputation of the penalty. I understand the concerns of some, as there is the legacy of folk wisdom “he who rushes stumbles”. But, the problem is realistic and we face it, without overlooking fundamental guarantees and rights of the accused.
  2. The overwhelming need to serve sentences without discounts, which have made it easier for many criminals to return to illegality at the expense of society as a whole. Here, of course, we have to make a remark. Obviously, for the best incarceration in order to further his smooth social reintegration, there is still a lot to be done in prisons. Today there are approximately 10,500 prisoners in the prisons. The vast majority of which maybe close to 60% foreigners. The construction of new prisons and the modernization of the old ones is necessary to achieve the result we want. The new penitentiary in Drama with a capacity of 600 prisoners has already been inaugurated and is operating with 36 prisoners. The Crete 2 penitentiary is expected to be completed in 2024, which will replace or decongest the old prisons in Lasithi and Halicarnassus. A number of new approaches to the prison system are also needed. There is a need for greater use of alternative sentencing methods for certain crimes, such as for example electronically monitored sentences, with appropriate equipment procurement actions, but also the activation of penal code provisions for semi-free living conditions for certain offences. Immediately after the passing of the law, these interventions should not be delayed. Because they are critical to the success of the substantial reform being attempted.”