infections, gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal and dental problems. 48 Depression, stress and frustration leading to tensions and violence as well as suicidal thoughts are also evaluated as a direct result of prolonged detention.49 The staff and detainees of Amygdaleza are not in any way immune to this. For instance, in April 2013, hundreds of detainees went on hunger strike and at least two suicide attempts were recorded; in August 2013 scabies broke out in the facilities; the same month 10 policemen and many more detainees were injured as a result of riots inside the center. 50 Providing medical treatment in all these incidents meant additional expenditures, all of which were a direct result of detention itself. In the long-term, the adverse health effects of detention are likely to hamper the integration of the affected persons, resulting in additional financial losses for Greece. In the case of irregular migrants in particular, it must be borne in mind that a certain percentage of them may eventually be allowed to stay in Greece — whether through the asylum system or because they cannot be deported. It appears counter-productive for Greece to first place migrants in detention and then have to provide them with long-term financial and social support once released. Given that the affected persons — both irregular migrants and personnel — are in their majority otherwise young healthy people, Greece is in essence compromising its own workforce. 2. The costs to cover the needs of families of the affected persons. When the breadwinner is in detention or in need of long-term treatment and unable to work, then the family will necessarily resort to social support to survive. This entails on the one hand additional costs for Greece because it has to assist the destitute family and on the other hand losses, because the economy loses in labour, consumption and taxes. 3. Unnecessary expenditures. It is unnecessary to detain indiscriminately the irregular migrants that the authorities come across, in order to implement an effective migration and asylum policy. Such an approach results in unnecessary expenditures. Asylum-seekers for instance, cannot be deported for as long as their claims are being examined; paying for their detention during this period is an unnecessary expenditure, in particular because their case might be eventually approved. In such cases, detention was from the beginning purposeless. Likewise, detention should be an option of last resort for persons who have declared that they wish to be deported, since they will likely return. It could be argued that it is a waste of resources to pay for detention in advance especially knowing that the policy objective may not be fulfilled or will likely be fulfilled. 4. Political and Financial Cost of Litigation. When a policy lacks in legality — as indiscriminate and prolonged detention of irregular migrants does — there is a high risk that the victim will resort to legal proceedings. Greece is well-familiar with this, having been repeatedly convicted by the European Court of Human Rights on the issue of detention. The average reimbursement in past convictions has ranged between 8,000 — 10,000€ per case. While only a handful of irregular migrants have so far sought recourse to the European Court of Human Rights, the convictions did cost to Greece primarily politically, but also financially. 48 49 50 See Medecins sans Frontieres, “Invisible Suffering: Prolonged and systematic detention of migrants and asylum seekers in substandard conditions in Greece”, April 2014, available at http://www.msf.org/sites/msf.org/files/invisible_suffering.pdf . Ibid. See for instance http://www.kathimerini.gr/34419/article/epikairothta/ellada/apopeiraaytoktonias-dyo-apergwn-peinas-sto-kentro-metanastwn-sthn-amygdaleza ; http://www.kathimerini.gr/49912/article/epikairothta/ellada/se-kanonikoys-ry8moysepanhl8e-h-amygdaleza see also position of Police Union http://www.poasy.gr/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1611:paremvasiproedrou-poasy-stin-12i-ethniki-stroggyli-trapeza-kata-twn-diakrisewn&catid=47:ola-taarthra&Itemid=99 10