Prisoners are still being placed in cells that are not adequate for housing people, Fondazzjoni Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl said yesterday.

Acknowledging that a number of divisions have been renovated, the NGO insisted that prisoners in other areas – mainly divisions two and three – often complained about humidity, low lighting and inadequate working showers. There was also a shortage of medicine supply, especially in cases where prisoners “clearly” could not afford it, the NGO said in a statement.

While CCF offers basic medicine, such as paracetamol, if a prisoner requires additional medication and cannot afford it, he has to remain without it.

A spokesman for the foundation said this was very often the case with foreigners who had no money and relied on the little they earned in prison.

Meanwhile, it also called for better legal aid representation as well as timely settling of cases. The foundation was expressing concerns to mark International Prisoners’ Justice Day.

It insisted that, while certain issues needed time to be resolved, “some problems could be dealt within a matter of days”.