In the wake of allegations that prison is teeming with drugs, prison director Abraham Zammit tells Kurt Sansone this is far from the truth.
There are two notices that greet visitors upon entering the holding area where prison warders take the particulars of those visiting the Corradino Correctional Facility.
The first is typical of those found in Church informing visitors that they should be dressed appropriately and the second instructs inmate relatives to only bring “normal” food portions.
To the right are two rooms where visitors are searched before being allowed into the hall for their pre-notified appointment with the inmate.
There are no notices warning visitors that it is illegal to take drugs into prison. It is understood but sometimes disobeyed.
Prison director Abraham Zammit denies the place he runs is full of drugs but admits that it is impossible to have a prison that is totally drug-free.
“It is far removed from reality when somebody says the facility is full of drugs but we are not infallible,” he says, pointing out that inmates and their relatives devise all sorts of creative ways to smuggle in drugs.
He is reacting to yet another claim by a former prisoner who, in an interview with The Sunday Times, said the place was full of drugs and not ideal for rehabilitation.
The statement was made by Charles Muscat, known as Il-Pips. He has ended up at the centre of controversy after being released early from prison. Mr Muscat benefitted from remission for good conduct despite testing positive for drugs while in prison and having a pending case of conspiracy to traffic four kilos of cocaine and a kilo of cannabis.
In jail for killing two people, Mr Muscat says he kicked his drug habit when he was transferred to the prison’s forensic unit at Mount Carmel Hospital where he underwent a drug rehabilitation programme.
In a composed manner, Mr Zammit says the prison authorities adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to drugs, denying claims they close an eye to the problem.
“We perform random urine tests on prisoners in line with international standards and disciplinary action is always taken when somebody tests positive,” Mr Zammit explains.
Inmates allowed out on prison leave have to be drug-free and are tested for drug use every fortnight. This is done to “keep them on the straight and narrow path”.
Mr Zammit explains that on 10 or 12 occasions throughout the year, random urine tests are conducted with the sample of inmates chosen from the whole prison population. About 10 per cent of inmates from each division are selected.
“The tests are based on international practices but our task of controlling drugs is made difficult because the majority of the 580 prisoners are doing time for drug-related crimes including theft,” Mr Zammit says.
He defends the early release of Mr Muscat for good behaviour, insisting that the system of remission has long been in place and inmates can lose the privileges gained.
“Mr Muscat decided to kick his habit after spending quite some time in prison and when he started to grow older. It was down to his will, the support he received from his relatives and the possibility granted to him by the system to undergo a drug rehabilitation programme that helped him ditch drugs.”
Inmates can apply for drug rehab programmes but can only do so when they are closer to the release date. Apart from the maximum jail term established by the court, prisoners are given the earliest date of release upon entering the facility, which is equivalent to 66 per cent of the sentence. However, benefitting from early release is not automatic and depends on good behaviour.
“Mr Muscat had lost his remission in the first part of his jail term but won it back towards the end after changing his ways,” Mr Zammit says.
Drugs are often, although not the only, cause for loss of remission. Heroin is the drug commonly used and in some instances relatives have tried to smuggle it by bringing damp clothes, which inmates would then rinse, picking up the drug residue from the garment.
Mr Zammit recounts other ingenious ways of smuggling drugs but it is the other side of the coin that he is more interested in exposing. He picks up a certificate issued by the Employment and Training Corporation to one of the inmates who took a training course and turns it around. It says “distinction”. This is what inmates are aiming for, he says.
“Those who want to change their ways are given the opportunity to do so. We have a school that provides lessons in different subjects but we also encourage inmates to take external courses offered by the ETC. You can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink.”
It is a feeling shared by five inmates, who speak to The Times during a brief tour of the facility. In the presence of Mr Zammit, the inmates acknowledge they have to pay for their crimes. But they also appreciate the authorities’ readiness to help them out in their difficulties.
One of the inmates, a man in his late 30s doing time for drugs, is proud of the new laptop he bought and which he hopes will encourage him to take up a computer course before leaving prison next year. His tutor is urging Mr Zammit to improve the present computer network, which facilitates their learning.
The inmate’s friend, who has already served seven years, has just finished the European Computer Driving Licence course and intends improving his skills by applying for a graphic design course.
“There is also a positive side to the prison,” Mr Zammit says, urging the inmates not to stray from the path they have chosen.
The inmates may be a very small unrepresentative selection of the population behind bars but they offer a glimmer of hope in a place where freedom is locked up behind high walls and padlocked metal doors.