Overcrowding at the prison is causing “hardship” to inmates and warders, the head of a prisoner welfare organisation has warned.
George Busuttil, head of Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl, said the dormitories were packed and an additional bed was introduced in single-bed cells.
The situation is particularly precarious in Division 15 where 25 men had to share a single toilet and one shower, he added.
“The overcrowding is causing hardship to prisoners and warders and giving the authorities a headache,” Mr Busuttil said.
The prison population stood at 647 as of last week, according to figures obtained from the Home Affairs Ministry. There were 278 foreigners.
A breakdown of the numbers showed that 530 were serving a prison term imposed by the courts while 117 were awaiting trial.
There were 38 women inmates, 15 of who were foreigners.
But a ministry spokeswoman said the problem with prison statistics was that the population could fluctuate depending on how many inmates were released after doing their time and how many cases were concluded by the courts.
“It is hard to predict what the situation will be,” she said.
It is a sentiment shared by Mr Busuttil, who insisted that despite the overcrowding if 10 people had to be jailed by the courts tomorrow, the authorities had no option but to find space for them.
The soaring number of inmates is a problem, according to criminologist Saviour Formosa.
The 600 mark has always been considered as the “magic number” above which the Corradino Correctional Facility and all those who work and live there would be under severe stress, he added.
“The high numbers can be interpreted as a sign of greater court efficiency in jailing people accused of a crime but it is evident that something has to be done,” Dr Formosa said.
The current situation does not allow the authorities to classify prisoners according to the severity of the crime committed and this can stifle progress on rehabilitation, according to Mr Busuttil.
However, he was adamant that the solution was not the construction of a new prison but the fostering of a new mentality.
“Drug addicts don’t need to be in prison but in rehabilitative care and the courts should opt for community work rather than jail terms,” Mr Busuttil said.
But while the law does allow the courts to mete out punish-ments that include community service, there has been very little recourse to this.
Community work never took off with the courts, Dr Formosa pointed out. “I do not have an explanation for this but community work may have a more beneficial impact than jail and it will help relieve the burden on the correctional facility.”
Top five in jail:
Somalians: 42.
Libyans: 27.
Nigerians: 19.
Italians: 18.
Romanians: 15.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com