Not a single prisoner has been processed for parole despite the law having come into force eight months ago, a leading prisoners’ advocate has complained.
My children ask me if I’ve been accepted for parole. What am I supposed to tell them?
The Restorative Justice Act came into force in February, creating a framework for prisoners to be regularly assessed and allowing them to apply for early release through parole.
But, according to prison campaigner George Busuttil, Malta’s parole system remains at a standstill.
“Everything’s in place but not a single inmate has been processed yet. Prisoners are extremely sceptical now and after the initial excitement, nobody is taking it seriously,” said Mr Busuttil, who heads prisoner advocacy NGO Mid-Dlam Għad-Dawl.
That impression was confirmed by a prisoner currently serving time at Corradino Correctional Facility, who told The Times that inmates were completely disillusioned about the much-vaunted change.
“Prison warders had told us all to apply for parole, so we did, months ago.
“We received an acknowledgment slip soon after but we haven’t heard anything else after that,” he said.
“It’s an absolute joke, but it’s not a funny one because they’re playing with people’s lives. The law’s raised many people’s hopes for nothing.
“My children ask me if I’ve been accepted for parole. What am I supposed to tell them?”
A Home Affairs spokesman confirmed that the boards established by the Act – an offenders’ assessment board, parole board and remission board – have all been set up.
Psychologist Roberta Zahra de Domenico chairs the offenders’ assessment board and Mr Justice Geoffrey Valenzia has been tasked with heading the parole board.
According to the Act, prisoners must be informed of their right to apply for parole four months before their eligibility date.
Their application is then considered by the offenders’ assessment board, which is also tasked with overseeing individual care plans devised for each inmate.
The board makes a recommendation on whether to grant parole to the parole board, which has a final say in the matter.
According to a ministry spokesman, the parole process has already started functioning.
“But one should keep in mind that inmates can only benefit from parole after fulfilling the terms of their care plan over a period of time.”
This, the spokesman said, meant that the boards were currently prioritising cases of inmates approaching their parole date.
But none of this information seems to have filtered through to those intimately tied to the process – the prisoners themselves.
“Prisoners are never told anything, which frustrates them even more. What’s worse, when information does get to them, it’s through word-of-mouth and often incomplete,” Mr Busuttil said.
The prisoner said much the same: “We never hear anything, and neither do the guards. I feel sorry for them, because we’re constantly asking for news of parole and they don’t know what to tell us.”
He vented his frustration. “Prison is massively overcrowded and yet a law that would free up space while encouraging inmates to rehabilitate themselves sits there doing nothing. How do you explain that?”