The Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs has announced the setting up of an administrative unit to carry out recommendations made by a board of inquiry into the situation at the prisons.

The Ministry in a statement this evening said that the board in its recommendations said that:

"There is a crucial need to establish a specific directorate or division within the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs with the policy over-sight of the Correctional Facility and to act as the focal point for all prison matters, leaving the Permanent Secretary to be brought in only if the problems raised are so serious as to require his attention;

A clear chain of command should be put in place which ensures that all managers at every level work together, are clear about what their terms of reference are, and are given annual performance targets to meet to reflect their job descriptions;

Regular meetings by the Director with his management team should be instituted;

Responsibility and accountability at every level should be clearly laid down;

The aims of the “Statement of Purpose” are central to the CCF’s business and should be fully implemented;

The quality, selection and training of the overwhelming majority of staff should be improved;

A properly structured programme of continuous training for all prison staff should be developed and implemented;

In order to prevent staff burn-out, permanent staff should be given psychological support;

LONG TERM AIM TO REMOVE POLICE FROM PRISON DUTIES

The long-term objective should be to remove Police Officers from involvement in the prison and to prepare Senior Correctional Officers to fill all posts, including the Director’s post;

Division 6 should not be used as a punishment wing;

A system of proper controls in Division 6 should be introduced;

A proper system for allocating prisoners to Divisions on entry to prison within clearly laid down criteria should be introduced;

A full Operational Review of the organisation and manpower establishment of the CCF should be conducted urgently by the Management Efficiency Unit to propose improvements on the lines indicated above and to establish the right number of personnel needed to fulfing the CCF’s present roles;

Once completed, recruitment of the necessary additional personnel should be immediately put in hand;

There is an important need for more social workers and psychologists;

STEPS TO END DRUG CULTURE

Determined steps to end the current drug culture must urgently be taken;

There should be a policy of zero tolerance to drugs;

The policy of zero tolerance should be underpinned by organisational improvements to the way the battle against drugs is conducted;

A well-manned entry point led by somebody with absolute authority to search for and stop drugs from entering the prison should be established;

Proper searches should be conducted on anybody returning from prison leave and extended visits or work parties;

Special vigilance should be exercised over food deliveries and the transportation of prisoners to court;

Security measures in vulnerable areas such as the bakery, chapel, education rooms and the gym should be stepped up;

Tight controls should be established in visiting areas;

Staff should be trained to be more vigilant especially during family visits and prison leave;

Modern drug detection equipment should be purchased as soon as possible;

Random drug-testing should be stepped up with a sample of 5% to 10% of prisoners being tested each month;

Those prisoners who refuse a test should be assumed, by their refusal, to be ineligible for any privileges;

Random testing should also apply to the permanent staff at the CCF;

The “Comprehensive Drug Policy” drawn p by the former Director in 2008 should be implemented forwith;

Strict monetary controls to prevent prisoners from purchasing drugs should be established;

Prisoners who test positive on entry to prison should be given all the help necessary for rehabilitation;

Special education and information campaigns should be run to ensure all prisoners are aware of treatment options;

A treatment programme should be introduced within the Correctional Facility;

A qualified coordinator should be placed in charge of treatment and made accountable for the rehabilitation of prisoners in his/her care;

Females should have the same opportunities as males to follow treatment programmes;

The current system of “Prisoner Representatives” should be comprehensively reviewed and clear terms laid down by the Director, and adhered to, for Prison Representatives’ future behaviour within more limited responsibilities;

PRISON LEAVE

The rules for granting all forms of Prison Leave should be strictly adhered to, including the need to ensure prisoners undergo a urine test before consideration of a request for leave;

The rules for granting Extended Visits should be strictly adhered to;

Preferential treatment to some prisoners for Prison Leave and Extended Visits should cease;

A comprehensive system for exercising proper financial control should be put in place and strictly observed;

Cheques for expenditure from the Thrift Shop account should invariably be counter-signed by the Director or his nominated Deputy not, as now, by the account holder on the basis of verbal instruction;

The state of the supporting financial records should be improved to avoid abuse.

No person should be permitted to deposit money into the personal account of a prisoner unless the person depositing the money is a relative of the prisoner;

The rule that no prisoner should work in the service of another prisoner should be enforced in-so-far as the assembling of Playmobil toys or other such work is concerned;

PRISON WORK AND ACCESS TO PPHONES

The current system of prison work should be reviewed, clear terms of reference laid down and proper control maintained by the Prison Authorities in order to ensure that no abuses occur;

The purchase of telephone cards by prisoners should be strictly controlled;

The number of telephone calls made by prisoners should be controlled and the current system revised so that restrictions are introduced to control the number of telephone calls that a prisoner may be allowed to make;

Equipment should be installed to block cellular communications from mobile phones inside the prison;

Meetings of the Disciplinary Board should be re-instated and the back-log of cases should be urgently reduced;

The arbitrary administration of discipline must cease;

SEPARATE FACILITY FOR YOUNG OFFENDERS

Steps should be taken to remove the Young Offenders Wing and the Female Wing from Corradino and to establish them in separate facilities in a new location elsewhere;

The severe lack of teachers, funds for education and facilities should be reversed;

The whole programme of rehabilitation and preparation for resettlement of prisoners in society should be markedly improved and properly funded;

Education should be incorporated as part of the regular time-table with similar privileges and arrangements as now obtained for those who spend their time working at the CCF;

The education coordinator should focus on “outreach” so that more prisoners may benefit from the educational opportunities ofered;

An Education Board should be set up to monitor and propose new initiatives in education and solve any difficulties that may arise"

The board said that in light of the maladministration and mismanagement identified in this enquiry, the authorities should be invited to consider taking administrative or disciplinary action, as deemed fit, against those responsible.