Justice Ministry vows tougher prison release terms amid public outcry

The outcry following an armed robbery attempt by four released convicts on the home of an elderly woman in Athens's southern suburbs earlier this week has prompted the Justice Ministry to re-examine a law introduced by the previous minister aimed at decongesting Greek prisons.

Investigators of the Palaio Faliro robbery - which resulted in one robber being killed after falling off a balcony while being chased by police, two being arrested and the fourth getting away - confirmed earlier this week that all four perpetrators were undocumented Georgian nationals who had received early release from related prison sentences under a law introduced by former justice minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos.

The measure has resulted in the release of hundreds of Greek and foreign convicts, stretching the resources of a police force that is ill equipped to keep tabs on their whereabouts and...