NGO calls for earlier eligibility for parole

The prisoners organisation Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl believes prisoners should be eligible for parole after serving one third of their sentence as a means of reducing criminality and allowing better reintegration.

Fr Mark Montebello, OP, director of the voluntary organisation that works with prisoners and their families, said they were working with MPs Jason Azzopardi and José Herrera on the matter.

The proposal had been agreed in principle and it would now be discussed within the two parties' parliamentary groups, he said.

"Our proposal is that prisoners will have the possibility of parole on the basis of good conduct after serving one-third of the sentence, under the supervision of a parole officer," he said.

"Of course, the details have yet to be settled, such as if the prisoner will undergo rehabilitation programmes or undertake community work."

He added that prisoners were currently eligible for remission after serving two-thirds of a sentence.

Handing out a leaflet to the press on the benefits of parole, backed by Council of Europe recommendations, Fr Montebello said parole made offenders better citizens.

At a press conference held outside the Law Courts yesterday Fr Montebello also appealed to the government to grant prisoners an amnesty on the occasion of the canonisation of Dun Gorg Preca, Malta's first saint.

"The government has not granted an amnesty since 2000 and we appeal to the government's generosity as a sign of hope for prisoners and their families," he said.

Fr Montebello added that the Social Solidarity Ministry, with the support of the Housing Authority, had recently provided Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl with a building that will serve as a temporary shelter for prisoners reintegrating into society.

This home, which is serving as a pilot project, will be named L-Ewwel Kenn (The First Shelter) and should be up and running next year.

The house, situated in the south of Malta, will initially take in just three prisoners and the idea was to work with Appogg, which could provide them with reintegration programmes, as well as alternative, more permanent housing.

"We calculate that of the average 15 prisoners who are released every month there is one person who ends up sleeping in bus shelters or beneath the bastions," Fr Montebello said.

Mid Dlam ghad-Dawl yesterday also released its 2006 annual report, which showed that the female division had made the most claims for assistance - a total of 124 cases or 41.3 per cent.

Last year the NGO dealt with 300 cases within the Corradino Correctional Facility, providing daily utilities, financial assistance, procuring clothing, documents and other literary material, and liaising with prison authorities.

Maltese (145 cases) and foreign prisoners (150) were in equal need of the volunteers' help.

On a different note, Fr Montebello said Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl was lobbying so that the United Nations would have a day dedicated to prisoners around the world - World Prison Awareness Day.