- 42 In the CPT’s view, there are a number of fundamental structural issues which are undermining attempts to provide appropriate conditions of detention and treatment for persons deprived of their liberty. They include a lack of any strategic plan to manage complex institutions such as prisons, the absence of an effective system of reporting and supervision, and inadequate management of staff. Recognising that there is a need for fundamental reform does not amount to denying that many prison staff across the Greek prison system are attempting to fulfil their duties to the best of their ability. However, for any reform process to be effective, the Ministry of Justice must first recognise that the prison system as it is currently operating is not able to provide safe and secure custody for inmates, nor fulfil the objectives set down in law. The CPT recommends that, following a period of in-depth consultations with all interested parties, the Ministry of Justice produce a strategic plan for the recovery of the prison system that addresses the following areas: - the mission of prisons and the values to which prison staff should work; - the size of the prison estate and the range of the prison types that it will include; - the range of activities that will be provided and the amount of access that persons detained, including those on remand, will have to them; - the human resource requirement needed to run the prisons professionally, including competence profiles for the key roles; - financial projections over a 5 to 10 year period, showing how the planned provision will be met within the resource levels available; - clearly defined short, medium and long term goals. 2. Ill-treatment 90. At all the prisons visited the delegation received practically no allegations of deliberate physical ill-treatment of prisoners by prison staff. Relations between prison staff and inmates were, in general, distant due to their minimal contact and, in a number of the prisons visited, inmates told the delegation that in the interests of maintaining a modicum of order it would not be in the interests of prison staff to ill-treat prisoners. That said, the delegation did receive some allegations of verbal abuse and intimidation by prison officers, notably by prison officers working with juvenile inmates at Thiva Prison. The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities remind prison officers, particularly at Thiva Prison, that verbal abuse and intimidation of prisoners is not acceptable and will be dealt with severely.