PRISONS 2.b. Special issues that emerged in 2019 2.b.1 The issue of prison overcrowding The NPM reaffirms that while recent decongestional policies (L. 4322/2015, L.4356/2015, L.4411/2016, L.4489/2017 and L.4571/2018) have gradually led to a smaller number of detainees per available places13, three years later numbers have gradually increased and detainees significantly outnumbered the available places, 14 despite the fact that the latter had slightly increased . It is thus evident that the initial significant prison decongestion trend has gradually receded, mainly due to the high rates of pre-trial detention and the severity of penalties imposed by courts on certain categories of crimes. In particular, detention population data show that on 1.1.2019, 3.317 detainees out of 10.654 (about 31%) were pre-trial detainees whereas the rest 7.337 (about 69%), were convicts. From the latter, 2.732 (about 32%) were convicted for violations regarding narcotics legislation and the rest 4.965 (68%) were convicted on other grounds. Furthermore, the imposed sentences show significant differences in the percentages of the imposed penalties, namely 6.524 persons (about 89%) have : received penalties from 5 to 15 years of imprisonment to life sentences (960 persons, 13%). The remaining 760 detainees (just 11/% of the total detained population) were serving sentences up to five years of imprisonment, including, of course, those who were not able to divert their sentence by fulfilling financial conditions or agreeing to community work. Data seem to confirm the findings of the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe that: From 11.798 detainees on 1.1.2015 to 9.611 on 1.1.2016 and 9.560 on 1.1.2017 for 9.815 places 14 10.011 detainees on 1.1.2018 for 9.935 places, 10.654 on 1.1.2019 for 9.935 places and 10.891 on 1.1.2020, for 10.055 places). Data from Ministry of Justice/ "General Annual Statistics Table of Detainees-Penalties" (2003-2019) http://www.ministryofjustice.gr/site /el/ΣΩΦPOΝΙΣΤΙΚΟΣΥΣΤΗΜΑ/Στατιστικάστοιχείακρατουμένων.aspx Ministry of Citizen 7 Protection/General Secretariat of Crime Policy/Statistics on Detainees/Statistics Table of Detainees on the 1st and 16th of every month of 2020" http://www.minocp.gov.gr/index. php?option=ozo_content&perform=view&id=7055&Itemid=696&lang=GR (available in Greek) 13 23