Justice Parliamentary Secretary Owen Bonnici was non-committal when asked whether prison inmates will be granted a pardon to mark Labour’s electoral victory.
“We are aware that there was a request to this effect but that is all I can say on it at this stage. I cannot commit myself, neither for nor against,” he told pleading relatives.
They argued that their loved ones in prison were facing psychological stress because they did not know whether or when they would be granted a pardon.
Dr Bonnici, who was addressing the annual conference organised by non-governmental organisation Mid-Dlam Għad-Dlam yesterday, said that the last time a pardon was granted to prisoners was in 2000. However, he stressed that pardons were not granted across the board and prisoners who committed certain crimes were not eligible for it. These included people serving life sentences.
Questioned about the law on the introduction of parole, Dr Bonnici said it was “shocking” how the law had gone through Parliament but the proper structures were not yet in place and were still absent till this very day.
“We are committed to ensuring that parole is introduced as soon as possible,” he said, adding that the Government was looking into whether the law could be “refined”.
He said the Government had increased the investment for prisoners’ education and there were now 13 academic and eight vocational courses.
A man said his son had been in jail for five years and suffered from a hernia for the past four, only to be given Panadols and sent back to his cell when in pain.
A woman complained that her husband’s case had been pending for four years while he remained locked up. Another woman noted that, although her son was about to complete his jail term, he had not yet started the drug rehabilitation programme ordered by a judge.
Dr Bonnici said the legal amendments made under the previous Administration on the way the criminal record was compiled were “draconian” and were being revisited.
He reacted to complaints that transgender prisoners were being placed in the section according to the gender according to their birth certificate, saying this was also being looked into.