24 THE GREEK OMBUDSMAN The abolishment of this provision is imperative also due to the high number of prisoners released on parole, since parole is granted with no further procedural requirements under article 105 of the Criminal Code. Prisoners on parole should enjoy their pensioners’ rights, if the parole cannot be revoked or for as long as it is not revoked, on the basis that this measure greatly serves the purpose of social reintegration. Observations on the Strategic Planning of the Ministry of Justice on the Penitentiary System (2018-2020) The Ombudsman, responding to the invitation of the Ministry of Justice commented on its draft of its Strategic Planning on the Penitentiary System and submitted the following detailed observations: A. – General Observations a. – By an overall assessment, the draft incorporates an abundance of ideas and suggestions, categorized by objectives and actions, in a manner that makes easier the subsequent detailed processing and analysis. It is nevertheless noted that setting specific time frames for achieving those objectives, as well as laying down provisions for the necessary financial resources, would facilitate further monitoring of implementation. b. – Correlation of this strategic planning with corresponding interventions in different aspects of criminal justice, preceding or following criminal reform although organically intertwined with it and affecting its operation and effectiveness –such as legislating and post-punitive care- should be taken under serious consideration. In this regard, it would be useful in many aspects to develop a national long-term strategic plan on criminal policy, one that would organically include the abovementioned strategic planning on the serving of sentences and on the overall treatment of criminally charged persons, either institutional or not. This would help limit “side-effects” and “undesirable effects” arising from the operation of the penitentiary system, such as overcrowding of prisoners or inadequate post-punitive care. The Ombudsman has repeatedly stated that «the penitential issue in the country should be considered in the light of an “holistic” reevaluation of the criminal justice system, covering its various aspects, namely, legislative (penalty system), judicial (sentencing) and punitive (detention conditions), as well as the interaction between them, all in the context of a cohesive medium-term criminal and penitentiary policy (see indicatively Annual Report 2014, p. 159 and Annual Report 2015, p. 137). In this regard, the strategic planning in question would extend to more than individual and occasional interventions limited at the stage of serving prison sentences; it would extend beyond the penitentiary, thus