The Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs said this evening that accusations of complacency or inaction expressed in relation to the prison authorities are "simply not borne out by the facts".
The ministry was reacting to criticism in the wake of the trial and sentencing of former inmate Josette Bickle who was yesterday convicted of trafficking drugs in prison between 2006 and 2008. The jury heard how she had free rein, with prisoner and warders scared of her. The court was told that she had four TV sets in her cell, as well as a sound surround system and other items.
In its statement, the ministry pointed out that the proceeding against Bickle were instituted after recommendations made to the ministry by a Board of Inquiry set up to investigate and analyse the operation of the prisons following the resignation of the then Director of Prisons in August 2008. The recommendations were published in March 2009 and the Minister had forwarded the findings of the voard to the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police for further criminal investigations.
The ministry referred to the report "New Developments, trends and in-depth information on Selected issues" published by the National Commission on the Abuse of Drugs, Alcohol and other Dependencies and pointed out that the figure of 41% of inmates -299 individuals - (who tested positive to drugs) quoted in page 11 in the executive summary to the report made available to the media under the title "Prison Data" was not provided by the Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF) and was not borne out by data available to the Corradino Correctional Facility.
"The statistics provided by CCF do not lead to the conclusion that up to 299 individuals were at any point in time found positive in relation to drug abuse but indicate that the corresponding figure should have read 233 persons," the ministry said.
"Regrettably because of this fact, serious misunderstandings arose out of this error in the media. This point which was acknowledged by the authors of the report in yesterday's press release (issued by the Ministry of Education), has cast an unjust shadow over Malta's correctional system. The subsequent statements made are not a fair reflection of the actual scenario."
PRISON REFORMS - DRUGS
The ministry pointed out how over the last few years it had spearheaded several reforms at the prisons, not only to better address specific issues that required specific attention, but also to take the Correctional system to the next level with the introduction of the new procedures that the Restorative Justice Act provides for.
"Clearly, rehabilitation from drug dependency featured prominently in these reforms, as it is well known that substantial numbers of inmates demonstrate drug-related and other dependency problems. In this strategy, substance abuse is addressed from a therapeutic and a psychological, and a medical point of view."
Drug abuse at CCF is being tackled in all its aspects.
As regards discipline and enforcement, urine testing was conducted whenever CCF staff suspected use of drugs or had intelligence to that effect.
"Of the approximately 480 tests carried out between early 2010 and mid-2011, 1.2% resulted positive for Opiates, whilst 0.75% tested positive for other substances. Cases of drug possession are reported to the Police for further investigation and any other necessary action. In 2010, 36 magisterial inquiries were held in cases related to the findings of illicit substances, whilst in 2011, 25 magisterial inquiries were held so far."
The drugs issue was also addressed from a therapeutic and a psychological point of view, with CCF benefiting from the services of in-house professionals who assist inmates by helping them address the psychological problems related to their addiction. At the same time, the ministry said, inmates were also given the opportunity of one-to-one meetings with key-workers from agencies such as Caritas and Sedqa as part of drug rehabilitation efforts.
"The medical and psychiatric aspects of inmates requiring treatment for opiate dependency are also duly addressed. In this strategy CCF in collaboration with the Substance Misuse Out-Patient Unit (SMOPU) provides such inmates with methadone treatment as well as alternative forms of treatment as required."
Whenever necessary, the social requirements of the inmates were also catered for through the intervention of social agencies such as Caritas, Sedqa and Appoġġ.
"Therefore, drug abuse at CCF is being tackled in all its aspects, holistically, addressing both cause and effect, in that the approach is disciplinary, therapeutic, medical, as well as social. However, the reform at CCF in respect of drug rehabilitation is, even today, not yet complete. In fact, the Substance Abuse and Therapy Unit (SATU) drug rehabilitation programme is currently being revamped in order to deliver shorter and more intensive programmes to a larger number of inmates with a more effective and focused approach," the ministry aid.
This reform will be particularly useful in the context of parole, as it will be a sine qua non requirement for prisoners to be free from drugs in order to be positively considered for parole.
"Evidently, parole constitutes the next major reform related to CCF and the inmates. The Restorative Justice Act, which has just been published following approval by Parliament, introduces a parole system, which provides for early release from prison at a point which shall be stipulated by the Parole Board following rigorous examination of the individual inmate's behaviour and attitude to reform. The Board shall examine the inmate's progress against the care plan drafted by CCF professionals and endorsed by the Offender Assessment Board (OAB). The care plan would seek to address the causes of the inmate's lapse into crime, including any relevant addictions, thereby building on the initiatives already being undertaken at CCF."
REMISSION
The ministry said the Restorative Justice Act also reforms the remission system. The award of remission will be the responsibility of a Board, and release on remission, like release on parole, will be conditional. The care plan would be taken into account also with respect to inmates who fail to obtain parole but who are being considered for release in terms of the remission system.
Listing other reforms, the ministry said managers have been appointed to assist the new Director of Prions. They are responsible for operations, security and care and reintegration.
Plans are in hand to recruit various professionals, particularly psychologists and social workers to meet the needs of the inmates within the Facility, including those needs arising from drugs and other dependencies.
"Considerable emphasis is being placed on the sustainable rehabilitation of offenders with the primary aim of curbing recidivism. Therefore, as envisaged by the Restorative Justice Act for the first time, a through-care system is in the process of being provided. This is because the Parole Officer, who shall be monitoring the prospective parolee shall be involved in the care and reintegration programme prior to the inmate being awarded parole, with the aim of streamlining the continuation of care and rehabilitation starting from prison and continuing upon release."
"It should be clear that several important reforms have taken place since the investigations by the aforementioned Board of Inquiry, including by way of improving existing structures and practices, as well as new initiatives.
"Notwithstanding the fact that in the past the Maltese prison system has inevitably had to face its fair share of challenges, the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs had definitely not shirked from embarking on comprehensive reforms. On the contrary it has taken them up with vigour and the results have started to show through."