‘I was given heroin in prison’ – 16-year-old girl
Corradino Correctional Facility in Paola has a section for young offenders, but girls are kept with adult female prisoners.
A teenage girl controversially imprisoned for a week after being charged with theft has claimed she was supplied with heroin by another inmate.
The girl, who marked her 16th birthday behind bars, was given drugs during her stay in prison, according to YMCA Homeless chairman Jean Paul Mifsud.
This is the latest twist in a story which sparked controversy after two youngsters – the girl and a 16-year-old boy – were remanded in custody on August 9 when they were charged with stealing an elderly man’s €400 pension.
The two have since been granted bail against a personal guarantee and placed under a curfew. But the girl has now told care workers that she took drugs during her seven-day stay at the Corradino Correctional Facility.
Just after being released from prison and while having her first meal at the YMCA Minors shelter, the girl vomited and displayed signs of drug related symptoms, according to Mr Mifsud.
“She admitted to a social worker that she burnt ‘smack’ and inhaled it the day before she was granted bail,” said Mr Mifsud.
Though she refused to take a urine test, Mr Mifsud said it was “very unlikely” that the girl was admitted to prison under the influence of any drugs. When a social case is admitted into a facility all checks would have to take place to cater for the specific needs of a vulnerable person.
The girl has been under a care order for several years and had a troubled and abusive past when she was referred to YMCA around a year ago.
“Reports about her never mentioned she had a drug problem, although we always had the suspicion that possibly at a younger age she was exposed to a drug environment and was thus referred to Sedqa counselling through a case conference.
“We believe her claims because this girl has always told us the truth in the past. She is a very troubled kid with serious problems which were never addressed. Sending her to prison did nothing more than exacerbate her problems,” Mr Mifsud said.
Last Wednesday, Mr Mifsud asked the prison director to order an inquiry on how drugs were freely available to a minor in prison but so far had not received a response. Appoġġ and the Children’s Commissioner Helen D’Amato were also informed about the case.
While under the care of YMCA through Appoġġ, the girl has been visited by a psychologist and a psychotherapist. While in prison the two youngsters were visited during the week by social workers as well as the correctional facility’s psychologist, but there was no suspicion of any wrongdoing.
“These children have been rejected for way too long. These are the children of the state and they should not fall victim to an overzealous system, which seems to be in place to serve the system and not the vulnerable people,” Mr Mifsud said.
“Are we as a society compounding the abuse these minors have suffered by not offering adequate services in a timely manner? Several professionals strive to give their best, but in several instances related to kids under a care order we are told there are insufficient resources.”
The boy was placed in the Yours section for young people, but since similar facilities do not exist for girls, she was kept with the adult women.
The girl was taken into care following reports about her family background while the boy had asked for help himself, after escaping from a broken home.
The care orders mean the youngsters become the legal responsibility of the state. However, they had been transferred to the care of YMCA, an NGO that provides residential services for children in these situations.
Malta Association of Social Workers chairman Anthea Agius said society should do its utmost to pre-empt such incidents rather than deal with crisis responses.
Imprisoning the adolescent in question was in breach of the spirit and procedures of the Children and Care Orders Act, she said.
“Children under the care and custody of the state should have care reviews at every transition. This girl was vulnerable and at risk and she simply shouldn’t have been put in a place which could act as a trigger,” Ms Agius said.
In the meantime, the Commissioner for Children said on Friday that she was launching an inquiry into the imprisonment of the two children.
Foundation for Welfare Services CEO Sina Bugeja said that care workers did their utmost to help minors who were in ‘out of home’ care.
When the Appoġġ agency receives information that minors could be exposed to danger or other abuse, it probes the allegations with the help of its care providers and works with the competent authorities, such as the police, to carry out the necessary investigations to protect the minors. The Justice Ministry said the prison authorities had referred the claims to the police for investigation and should these claims turn out to be true, the necessary criminal proceedings would be taken.
Questions sent to the prison director remained unanswered.
hgrech@timesofmalta.com
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Dr Francis Saliba
Aug 24th 2010, 05:34
It is much more accurate to say that this 16-year old girl with a horrid background managed to obtain heroin even when in prison, rather than "I was given heroin in prison".
john muscat
Aug 23rd 2010, 23:27
While I completly agree that the prison is not the pace for a 16 year old girl unfortunately rather than an investigation the Commissioner for Children should do her utmost by putting pressure on the government to find an adequate place where persons of this tender age who are refused bail should be kept while awaiting trial.
An investigation, what investigation?I am quiet certain that the Magistrate who refused bail acted acccording to law and if he or she did not act according to law it should have been the Commission for the Administration of Justice who should have tackled this issue.
Its no surprise that she was offered heroin in prison, all the people know that drug trafficing in prison is rife.
Let's grab the bull by the horn and try to find an adequate place where to keep such persons as it is most probable that in future we will have more such cases or perhaps a good idea would be the introduction of Boot Camps where young persons undergo a period of real strict discipline. Discipline is the issue, we are loosing all sense of discipline.
gaffarena joseph
Aug 23rd 2010, 13:22
ONE THING I HAVE TO ADD.
The minister have to make an investigation about this grave situation in prison,otherwise
he have to resign.
Few months ago an inmate was released from prison at 6,30am and in less than 2 hours
he was found death in his home,with an overdose, at the tender age of 28.
We the people have a right to know from where these drugs are coming and who is suppling
them.
I, am still wondering why we havent heard of any resignation?
J Simspson
Aug 24th 2010, 09:49
Of curse we have the right to know who supplying drugs....but don't you think this is a worldwide fight!!!!
Anthony Falzon
Aug 23rd 2010, 09:24
bla..bla..bla.......and not a word of sympathy for the poor pensioner and the hardship he had to go through.
Jos Vella
Aug 23rd 2010, 18:40
we left that part for you to have something to say. bla bla bla
Roderick Micallef
Aug 23rd 2010, 06:58
Whilst I sympathize with whatever troubles this girl has been through, on the other hand I really don't agree with the statement "We believe her claims because this girl has always told us the truth in the past", first and foremost I don't think any one forced her to take drugs whilst in prison so she most probably demanded and requested for drugs.
Additionally why did she refuse to take a urine test? Doesn't this ring any alarms to the concerned authorities? At least I would have make it hard to believe her story UNLESS she backs it up with the urine test.
Let's not just point fingers at the system and look at this issue from all point of views, it's easy to start accusing and pointing fingers. A juvenile system for troubled young women would be good but is there really the need? Or is this case what I call one in a million which in that case could be dealt with in other already established institutions? A study should be performed to try and forecast whether these type of cases will be on the increase in the future since broken families have now become pretty rampant!
Thomas Borg Barthet
Aug 22nd 2010, 23:31
in that situation the girl well might have thought of the word no thank you? it seems like she's just trying to get people to sympathize with her.. just throw her back into prison she'll learn her lesson there.. if she wants to make good decisions she can but if not she can just keep on taking drugs and ruining her life and everyone should stop giving her all this attention because it doesn't really help these 'poor damaged teen'.. of course the person supplying the drugs caught and actions be taken.. but its easy to make excuses for the thing we do!
Jos Vella
Aug 22nd 2010, 22:39
The girl was in a cell with another inmate; if the girl can mention the name of the inmate who supplied drugs will be the start; increasing the jail term of the inmate for not just supplying drugs which is already illegal, but considering also the young age of the person to whom the drug was consigned. Why is it that in such a small island, a small prison it is so easy to smuggle drugs. Isn't it the time that security measures within the facility are improved? If need be introduce police trained dogs in the visitors' area, to sniff for drugs; and hire an independent catering company for the supply of food (to avoid cases where drugs are smuggled by hiding it in food). There are various ways how to prevent abuses; it's up to the authorities whether to stand up and do a good job or leave things as they are.
david debattista
Aug 22nd 2010, 19:29
Poor Kid What a Mess.
Nick Falzon
Aug 23rd 2010, 08:54
Agreed. We've criminalised this poor girl by locking her up in the slammer next to heroin addicts rather than putting her in a care home. Well done to the Children's Tsar for raising questions about this horrid issue.
Joe Cordina
Aug 22nd 2010, 16:12
And can anyone believe her??? She may just trying to have it her way
Claire Busuttil
Aug 22nd 2010, 18:22
ma nahsibx li hi xi haga ta barra min hawn!
Rene Debono
Aug 22nd 2010, 23:06
So you're saying that she faked drug withdrawal symptoms? What motive could she have? And it's not like as if she's the first person to admit to have taken drugs in prison, it's common knowledge. She needs to be helped to lead a better life not locked up in a criminality school.
Joseph Calleja
Aug 22nd 2010, 15:34
So if you do drugs you go to prison. If you want to do drugs you go to prison.
How are these drugs smuggled into the prison in the first place? Something is not right. The same question comes up. Who is in charge?
Nick Falzon
Aug 22nd 2010, 17:54
Nobody is in charge. That's the problem. The easiest place to score drugs in Malta is...(fanfare please!)...Corradino. G'mangia near the detox centre comes a close second. How come I know all this? I keep my eyes open and don't spend my time asleep in a patrol car.
Robert Callus
Aug 22nd 2010, 19:11
In order to supply drugs in a confined space for a regular period of time you need help from higher up. Otherwise it is impossible. If an inmate's wife brings him a chocolate they tear it up to see if it has illegal things inside. The wife is searched and after she leaves so is the inmate. So how could a regular, supply of drugs enter unless people are deliberately shutting up their eyes? And if it was just some lowlife guard how could he keep on doing it, especially when prison is on the limelight on the media? They manage to find drugs in a person's stomach as well as in a large villa. How could they not find them in a small prison cell?
Steve Borg
Aug 22nd 2010, 15:07
I can't believe some of the ill-informed comments on this forum. This is a poor, troubled 16 year old we're talking about, a girl who should be protected by the state, which should ensure she doesn't fall victim to the messy system inside our prisons and courts. The Sunday Times did the right thing in putting a focus on this story. Comments made by the like of Edward Bugeja and Alfred Bugeja make me believe some people would prefer a muzzled media like Iran's.
Alfred Bugeja
Aug 22nd 2010, 20:55
What are you on about?
I merely pointed out that The Times reported Jean Paul Mifsud saying something contradictory. He's saying that the kid is not a drug addict and that she had withdrawal symptoms. That cannot be the case because you need to be on heroin for a few months before starting to get withdrawal symptoms.
ms ghoare
Aug 22nd 2010, 14:00
@ Alfred Bugeja, i agree with you more then 100%
When i was reading what Jean Paul Mifsud said i thought somewhere i was being misslead it just didnt make sence at all.
But i am not doubting that she was giving heroin , i honestly think that when you are troubled child you try diffrent things to forget and you dont have to go to prison to to start heroin , what was the reson for her to steal 400euro in the first place ,,I do not call this petty theft i call this orgonized theft to help buying drugs , which this happened before she went to prison ,I dont eccept that everybody agrees with me but i am talking through working with trouble children and adults in the uk
Jesmond Micallef
Aug 22nd 2010, 13:19
Young offenders are victims of the older offenders. The drugs problem will continue to rise if families are destroyed. The snowball effect. I say remove the spider first and then tackle the webs. The truth is very offensive to the collective party goers.
gcForte
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:34
QUO VADIS MALTA ? ...............To comment is a waste of time.
edward bartolo
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:38
Oh, this brainwashing! This is not a girl but a fully developed adult both mentally and physically.
Political correctness is like a cancer that invades everywhere in the body causing it to die. This political correctness is useless and will not convince anyone with a nanogram of intellect that youths are youths, not children.
Maybe, if the media installs loudspeakers everywhere to evangelise its political correctness, more citizens would be convinced of their truth!
Pull the other one!
Robert Callus
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:00
What has political correctness got to do with this? Political correctness is just something superficial like saying person with a disability instead of handicapped.
This is a case of a serious injustice against towards the girl and the harmful towards whole society. No amount of beautiful political correct words can justify it.
John Micallef
Aug 22nd 2010, 13:05
Do you have sons & daughters?? I believe not, else you will not be talking like this my friend!!
I think the only corectness in this subject, i how we can sucessfully rectify the situation in CCF, for the sake of the future of this country!
J.F. Vassallo Ebejer
Aug 22nd 2010, 13:39
Dear Mr. Bartolo, how can you make such sweeping statements?
edward bartolo
Aug 22nd 2010, 16:34
Quote:
An appeal to emotions?! Everyone knows emotions don't include reason.
Quote:
Referring to nature is "sweeping statements" to you?!
No amount of toddler-gibberish will convince anyone with an infinitesimal of intelligence to accept that 15 and 16 year olds are children: their bodies, behaviour and minds demonstrate it all the time. Therefore, it amounts to an insult to the people's intelligence when the media tries to convince everyone that these two youths at the best of their health are children! This is totally unacceptable in a society that boasts of advanced science and technology!
I will continue to make these so called "sweeping statements", because what is published, is not in the best interest of society. When shall we start looking at reality as it is instead of making manifestly stupid assumptions?
Excusing the actions of these young adults is corrupting them further; give them a lesson, but as I said, without wasting their lives in prisons, if possible.
edward bartolo
Aug 22nd 2010, 18:20
I would like to add the following quotes: "Do you have sons & daughters?? I believe not, else you will not be talking like this my friend!!" An appeal to emotions?! Everyone knows emotions don't include reason. Quote: "Dear Mr. Bartolo, how can you make such sweeping statements?" Referring to nature is "sweeping statements" to you?!
Joe Muscat
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:29
Vera dan il- pajjiz jinsab fi stat miskin, bieh ghadna ma sibniex il- problema tad-droga fil-habs, ghalija li jigi xi hadd u jiprova jistahba wara l-fatt li din hija haga komuni mad-dinja kollha mhux iserahli mohhi xejn, anzi tinkwetani ghax ma hu jghamel xejn.
Dan il- kaz huwa xokkanti, ghax ifisser li mhux talli qed tidahhal id-droga fil0 habz ghal uzu personali, imma ghat trafikkar, F'dan l-istadju il- habs nahseb li tillef l-iskop kollu ghax: Hemm droga daqs barra (jekk mhux aktar) u mezzi ta rihabilatazjoni huma ftit hafna. Anzi nasal nghid li aktar qed iservi ta ghanqbuta ghal kriminalita organizata f'dan il- pajjiz.
Ma tantx hemm modi differenti kif tidahhal id-droga fil- habs: Kuntraturi, impjegati, visitaturi. X'imkienn hemm toqba u hemm bzonn li tisolva.
U ta bilhaqq, hemm dawk il- cameras kollha u qatt hadd ma jara xejn?? (jekk jahdmu)
Paul Smith
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:20
Also, even if she were drug tested, no traces of heroin would be found in urine 24 hrs after taking the substance.
Prisoners up until around 15 years ago in the UK used to often use cannabis resin in prison as it was non addictive and calming. Prison staff would turn a blind eye to stoned prisoners as it kept them calm and gave the staff less hassle having to deal with violent inmates. Our government in it's infinite wisdom brought in random drug testing and because cannabis stays in the body for up to a month, cannabis is now hard to come by in prison - the new drug of choice in UK prisons - Deadly herion which is highly addictive - why? Because you easy beat random drug tests because the heroin is gone from the blood stream in 24hrs. So we have people going into prison drug free - coming out heroin addicts, then stealing to feed there habit and ending up strait back in prison at the cost of about 19 billion a year.
Prison is no place to send a drug user whom is in prison for using drugs.
Alfred Bugeja
Aug 22nd 2010, 14:34
Sorry Paul, but you're wrong.
Today's tests can detect traces of most heroin products in urine for up to five to six days after use. In the case of smack (which is what this girl is claiming to have had) the test would detect traces for up to three days.
Of course, a blood sample would have given a clearer picture.
c.c.carbonaro
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:17
Prison is not the place for teen-agers committing crimes .They should have a corectional place for them a was "Is-salvatur".They should not be mixed with grown ujp prisoners.The result is,they become worse.
Nick Falzon
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:16
Drugs in jail? Nooooo, really???!!!
Anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows full weel that Corradino's the easiest place in Malta to score the drug of your choice.
Dear oh dear.
Now, when is this shoddy Government going to stop copying Iran by putting kids in an adult prison??
Maybe now?
smuscat
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:07
I dnt know what this fuss is all about because she is 16years old..(nowadays).In My opinion the law needs some changes in today's society,let alone judiciary system in Malta is too lenient..
Rocco Cauchi
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:02
What about a new St Philip Neri institution as we used to have until its suppression around the mid-seventies?
Franco Farrugia
Aug 22nd 2010, 10:39
And THIS is the reason why a child or adolescent should not be sent to prison!
martin saliba
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:35
I totally agree with you. How old were they , 6 ,7 ,8 years old ? Shame on our justice system.
Franco Farrugia
Aug 22nd 2010, 11:53
@ Martin Saliba:
1. You make a mockery of educational psychology.
2. If you are a parent, shame on you: it means that at 16-18 yrs of age, you let go of your sons/daughters because they are 'adults'.
3. You ignore the fact that society will pay for all this - one future inmate at Corradino is one too much!
4. You speak like that because they are not your children. Oh, yes, we are Christians, through and through: we don't give a damn about what happens to others, as long as we and our families are ok!
5. The law is the law: at 16, they are still adolescents, NOT ADULTS. And even if they were adults, you don't put them alongside hardened criminals.
6. Don't be so fast in dismissing these young people and judge them because when you do, you are only judging you and your own generation of parents who are raising these children in this manner. So, when you judge them, you are also judging yourself.
martin saliba
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:05
The best way to deal with these chilkdren as you put it is to lock them up . where they would eventualy end up , so that they can see for themselves where they are heading and maybe think twice next time.
Robert Callus
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:07
Well said Franco. Prisoners are the school of crime. The phrase may be a cliche, but it is also true. The crime this girl committed is a relatively small one. Adults have committed much more serious crimes (remember the notary who had 5 cases of fraud, all end up in suspended sentences?) and never put a foot into prison.
The serious crime here is who is allowing drugs into prison. The fact that there are so much drugs in a contained place like a prison shows that not only low life riff raff are behind this. They must be protected by someone higher up.
So let's stop blaming the victims and grab the bull by the horns.
Alfred Bugeja
Aug 22nd 2010, 14:29
This girl was a repeat offender. SHe had already served a two-month jail term last year. So, she's either a lost cause, or staying at YMCA is actually making her behavioural problems worse.
Alfred Bugeja
Aug 22nd 2010, 10:23
What Jean Paul Mifsud is saying is contradictory.
On the one hand he is saying that YMCA is convinced that the girl had never been on drugs "because she always said the truth". Then he is saying that she refused to take a urine test which would have confirmed her positivity to drugs and quashed any doubts about her saying the truth. Then he says that she started experiencing drug withdrawal symptoms.
Any junkie or former junkie would tell you that in order to experience withdrawal symptoms, one would have to have been regularly consuming one of the forms of heroin for at least three to four months. YOU DON'T GET WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS AFTER TAKING ONE HIT! NOT EVEN IF YOU TAKE FIVE!!
So, there are two scenarios... either the girl is lying about taking drugs in prison (which reportedly cost around €250 - €300 a pop when available BTW), or she had been taking drugs for at least three months before going to prison. Ironically that would also mean that she was taking drugs while in YMCA's care.
I'm surprised that The Times fell for such a clearly false story.
Joseph Galea
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:23
One of the postings that really makes sense.
D.Galea
Aug 22nd 2010, 12:32
Mr.Bugeja I'm surprised The Times published your comment but it was very professional of them to do so despite the erronous assumptions you have. So with your reasoning, if one gets drunk the first time one should not expeirence a hangover and here I'm talking of a relatively much less addictive substance as the same wouldn't go for tobacco after a small amount of cigarettes, correct? Such an "expert", Oh come on!! Stop insulting yourself and us with you because I for one won't have it.
Alfred Bugeja
Aug 22nd 2010, 14:26
D. Galea,
Alcohol and smack are teo completely different compounds. Heroin and opiates do not give any side effects after the first use - and certainly not a full day after the first use. That is primarily the reason why heroin and its derivatives still have wide use in medicine, particularly in pain killers.
So, unless you have a few junkie friends who can prove otherwise, you should turn to doing some research before logging in.
Thomas Borg Barthet
Aug 22nd 2010, 23:37
heroin is a hard drug and it is classified so because even after few uses it changes chemicals int eh brain affecting signals so theoretically it is possible.. this can happen with alcohol but it obviously takes longer and it is more a mental dependance rather than a physical one caused by heroin.. also heroin being a very strong drug can cause a lot of problems and side affects in body which in most cases vomiting.. a sign that your body tells you.. hey! what you just took was not good for you at all!