Forty-one per cent of prison inmates tested positive for drugs last year, according to the latest national report.
The field of addiction is very emotional, but we need to be focused on the scientific aspect
Of the 731 individuals incarcerated at Corradino Correctional Facility in 2010, 299 tested positive for opiates – heroin and morphine, among others – cocaine, cannabis or a mix of two or all drug types.
The report reveals that on admission only 30 per cent of inmates tested positive for drugs.
This means that apart from not being able to kick the habit while doing time, others who must have entered the prison clean ended up succumbing to drug addiction behind bars.
“Having drugs in prison happens all over the world and it’s not a phenomenon just present in Malta. We have to acknowledge the problem and address it,” Marilyn Clark, chairman of the National Commission for Drugs, Alcohol and Other Dependencies, said.
Dr Clark points out that there has to be specific harm reduction measures in prison, as inmates share needles and their ‘tools’ to get their next hit, risking the spread of serious chronic infections such as Hepatitis C.
“We don’t give out needles in prison to prevent them sharing and spreading disease. This idea scares people and we are reluctant to admit drugs are a reality in prison, but the problem does exist,” she told The Sunday Times.
“The field of addiction is very emotional, but we need to be focused on the scientific aspect and see what works and what doesn’t.”
The report, which has just been released and covers the drug situation in Malta between 2008 and 2010, was carried out by the commission and the National Focal Point for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
It dedicates an entire chapter to drug use among the prison population, an issue that regularly surfaces and was last highlighted by former inmate Charles Muscat, il-Pips, earlier this year when he said the place was “full of drugs” and not ideal for rehabilitation.
In an interview with The Times last August, prison director Abraham Zammit denied the prison were “full” of drugs but admitted it was impossible to have a prison that was totally drug-free.
Drugs, he said, the most common cause for loss of remission. Heroin is the drug commonly used and in some instances relatives have tried to smuggle it by bringing damp clothes, which inmates would then rinse, picking up the drug residue from the garment.
Guidelines on drug treatment, prevention, rehabilitation and harm reduction are being discussed, as at present no training is provided to prison staff on these issues.
The report acknowledges that in the past five years there were no policy changes and as yet, the prison has no clear policies on drug prevention.
However, in view of the imminent introduction of parole, these were being revisited. The current system will be replaced with new procedures outlining the formulation of a care plan upon admission.