National Security Minister Manuel Mallia has pledged to eradicate drugs in prison “once and for all”.

He made this bold statement yesterday while delivering the opening address of a five-day course on prison education organised by the European Prison Education Association and the University of Malta.

Dr Mallia said prisons should be places of rehabilitation but for this to work they should be rid of drugs.

“Drugs should in no way be accessible in prison and my pledge is to eradicate them once and for all,” he told course participants. Last month two prison warders were suspended after testing positive for cocaine when routine urine tests on inmates started being done on staff members.

Dr Mallia insisted rehabilitation, education and resettlement of inmates was not a choice but “a must” because it ensured prisoners did not return to a life of crime after doing time.

He explained that nearly 75 per cent of the inmates at the Corradino Correctional Facility, amounting to some 300 inmates, were repeat offenders.

“I am not happy with such a high percentage of inmates who are not first-time offenders,” Dr Mallia admitted, saying the Government wanted to carry out an in-depth study on recidivism to under-stand why inmates kept returning to prison.

Nearly 75 per cent of the inmates are repeat offenders

There is a dearth of studies on the subject despite the system’s inability to keep former inmates out of prison.

He said rehabilitation and subsequent resettlement programmes that helped inmates find their feet after leaving the prison were important for inmates and society.

As part of the ongoing reform, Dr Mallia said he would shortly appoint a director for educational services in prison to strengthen the training programmes.

Minors will also be moved out of CCF to another location with specific monitoring processes,he added.

A prison reform board tasked with recommending ways of making the prison system more efficient and one that serves as a rehabilitation hub had delivered its first report on security.

Dr Mallia said he was evaluating the conclusions but certain measures had already been introduced.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com

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