In Greece, a reform of electronic monitoring removed the obligation for persons subject to it to bear the associated costs, with the objective of expanding its use. However, this reform comes in the wake of a recent penal reform that has reinforced the role of imprisonment, undermining its stated aim of easing overcrowding.
On 18 May 2026, following a pilot phase, electronic monitoring of defendants, sentenced persons and prisoners on temporary release became fully operational throughout Greece, pursuant to a law adopted in 2025 (Law No. 5187/2025, 21 March 2025).
Electronic monitoring may operate as a restrictive measure in criminal proceedings instead of pre-trial detention, as a measure accompanying conditional release (except for specific categories of offences – e.g. terrorism, high treason, human trafficking), or as an alternative modality of serving a custodial sentence for persons sentenced to a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years and for specific categories of prisoners (prisoners aged above 70, imprisoned mothers who have custody of minor children up to the age of eight, prisoners with specific health conditions – AIDS, senile dementia, drug-resistant tuberculosis, etc.). It is also applied in specific cases involving European Arrest Warrants and prisoners’ leave.
A major novelty of the new framework is that, through an amendment to Article 56(6) of the Penitentiary Code, it removes the obligation for the monitored person to bear the costs of electronic monitoring – a financial obstacle that had previously limited access to the measure. Instead, these costs are borne by the budget of the General Secretariat for Crime and Anti-Criminal Policy of the Ministry of Citizen Protection.
According to the General Secretariat for Crime and Anti-Criminal Policy, which is responsible for prison administration, the reform of electronic monitoring is intended to contribute to reducing prison overcrowding, with the prison system operating at 138% of its capacity on 1 October 2026.
However, this reform comes in the wake of a recent penal reform, passed in 2024, that has reinforced the role of imprisonment in the penal system, undermining this stated aim. Among other measures, the 2024 reform has extended the cases where pre-trial detention may be imposed, toughened juvenile justice, increased penalties for certain offences, and limited access to the suspension of sentence execution and to conditional release. One visible effect of the reform is the doubling of the number of prisoners sentenced for misdemeanours, which has risen from 1,797 on 1 January 2024 to 3,766 on 1 January 2026.
Furthermore, as the services for the operation of the electronic monitoring system will be provided by a private contractor under contract with the Greek State, concerns have also been raised about and the emergence of economic interests in the management of punishment and surveillance.
The European Prison Litigation Network (EPLN) and its members and partners monitor developments in domestic prison law across Europe and provide concise analyses of the most significant changes affecting prisoners’ rights at national level. These updates are intended to support practitioners in identifying emerging European trends, drawing on comparative experiences, and strengthening their legal practice and advocacy in defence of prisoners’ rights.
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