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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2020 Prison should be a place of reform, not retribution Editorial THEORETICALLY it goes without saying that, in maintaining a prison system, the State automatical- ly assumes responsibility for the health, safety and wellbeing of all persons in its custody. Yet inevitably there is a gulf between theory and practice; and while Malta's only prison can lay claim to having all the necessary safeguards down in its book of rules and regulations, the reality within the walls of the Corradino Correctional Facility seems to paint a different, less reassuring picture. Last week, a Maltese man awaiting extradition to the USA over child abuse charges, committed sui- cide at CCF: becoming the 10th in a series of as yet unexplained deaths (and suicides) that have taken place in the same facility over the last decade. Between 2013 and 2020, there were 26 prisoners' deaths in total: and according to a home affairs spokesperson, 16 of these deaths are listed as "nat- ural causes", whereas five deaths were caused by suicide. The cause of the remaining five deaths are yet to be determined. The last death in CCF happened earlier this year, when a 72-year-old man – Gozo murderer John Attard, who in 2010 was imprisoned for the killing of traffic warden Fortunata Spiteri in 2001 – was discovered dead in his cell during the morning call. This was the eighth death in 24 months. Before that, a 49-year-old prisoner from Birkirka- ra was found dead in his cell in November 2019: just one month after another inmate had also died after he was found unconscious by prison guards. Not all such fatalities involve suicides; but some raise additional questions of their own. In 2018, a male prisoner died in Corradino Correctional Facil- ity shortly after complaining about feeling ill. The man reportedly said he was feeling sick and asked for pills to ease the pain. Just a few minutes later, he fell unconscious in his cell. Inevitably, one must question whether the health services available to prison inmates is sufficient to safeguard their health and well-being. These are all complaints that date back several years. But while administrative changes have been effected since then – including the appointment of a new prison director earlier this year – the under- lying problem, in the form of a consistent pattern of mysterious deaths in custody, has clearly persisted all the same. And not only have the authorities failed to prop- erly respond to this challenge: but for the most part, the Home Affairs Ministry has consistently avoided even answering any of the media's questions about the issue. This has naturally (and justifiably) led to calls for a reform of Malta's entire prison administration system. In a scathing online article, academic and broad- caster Prof. Andrew Azzopardi even suggested that the prison was being run as a sort of "vindictive" colony to satisfy a feeling of retribution for victims of crime. Azzopardi published a long list of criticisms, including complaints about inmates being denied medical treatment, over-crowded cells, recreational spaces used for incarceration, and study leave not granted to everyone. He also took aim at new Prison director Alex Dal- li, accusing him of turning CCF into the "3rd regi- ment of the Armed Forces", in an obvious reference to Dalli's former military career. How much of this criticism is warranted remains difficult to ascertain, given the dearth of availa- ble public information. But this, too, is cause for concern. Faced with such a conspicuous spike in prison-related deaths, the authorities clearly cannot continue ignoring the elephant in the room. In theory, the 10th suspicious death in 10 years should have prompted a public inquiry into the standards of prison management. In practice, how- ever, it was as though nothing had happened at all. Besides, Azzopardi has a point when he argues that we cannot simply ignore the 'correctional' mis- sion of prison, in favour of discipline alone. For even if discipline is undeniably necessary, in a punitive facility, the aim of having a prison system in the first place is ultimately that of reforming inmates… not merely subjugating them, or – worse still – killing them through negligence, lack of concern, or flawed policies. Ultimately, however, the issue boils down to a question of transparency and accountability. We all accept that the State reserves unto itself the right to incarcerate people, both in the name of public safe- ty, as well as to maintain law and order. But rights come with responsibilities; and a State which so cavalierly disregards its own accountability obligations - in the face of such serious, unanswered questions – cannot be said to be living up to those responsibilities. 13 September, 2010 Minister orders suspension of prison decision HOME affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bon- nici has ordered the immediate suspension of an ad hoc policy by acting prison director Abraham Zammit, to allow sentenced in- mates out into the community without an escort. The suspension was ordered in the wake of the news revealed last Sunday by MaltaTo- day, about how police officers were shocked to find convicted criminals out in the neigh- bourhood and without any escort. MaltaToday is informed that Mifsud Bon- nici was angered by the way the matter was handled by the acting prison director, and ordered that the 'pilot project' for communi- ty work by inmates be suspended and regu- lated accord to established prison directives. Abraham Zammit has been instructed to "wait" for "clear directives" from the ministry before taking any personal initiatives with the inmates and to strictly follow established prison rules, which state that no inmate can be allowed out on a daily basis to conduct work, unless he has three months remain- ing to end his term in prison. In the case of study, this may be granted two years before the termination of sentence. Contacted yesterday, Zammit confirmed that the policy has been suspended, and add- ed that he will be awaiting further instruc- tions from the Home Affairs Ministry. Restorative justice is an accepted principle worldwide, with inmates being allowed out of the prison walls to conduct community work. But MaltaToday also reported the dis- may of the police and government sources at how certain inmates who have not even served half of their time were already being trusted out of the prison walls without an escort. Government is preparing to launch a draft law that will introduce a parole system in Malta, but questions are now being raised over whether the prison authorities were mistaken when letting out certain inmates without an escort. ... Quote of the Week "It was something like a darkness fell over the country. There was sadness... there were so many emotions, not just shock." Former deputy prime minister Louis Grech testifies in the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry MaltaToday 10 years ago