Incarceration of people who break the law is meant to protect the community and rehabilitate offenders.
The sudden death of two inmates at Corradino Correctional Facilities a few days ago raises questions about how successful is the rehabilitation programme of the prison system. A 34-year-old inmate died after complaining of chest pains to the prison authorities. A 26-year-old inmate was found unconscious in his cell during routine rounds. He was pronounced dead in hospital. The cause of death of these young people is being investigated. Still, it is never inopportune to discuss the cost of incarceration.
The financial cost of incarcerating an offender is high but it is only the tip of the iceberg. People behind bars, denied their liberty, have a difficult time maintaining personal relationships. This reality contributes to some children growing up in single-parent homes or without any parents at all. Not surprisingly, this correlates strongly with more of these children eventually turning to crime.
International studies show that about 40 per cent of people released from prison will be arrested within three years. Such high recidivism suggests that, sadly, prisons are fostering even more criminality. The causes are various.
Some blame the overcrowded facilities at Corradino prison as the main cause of rehabilitation programmes failure. Building new prison facilities with more humane living conditions could be a partial solution. However, other options could include effectively treating prisoners’ addictions, compelling work behind bars, providing sound educational facilities and skills training and revising sentences to ensure they are actual punishments rather than exercises in human warehousing.
It is not known how many inmates at Corradino have addiction problems. International statistics indicate that about half of prisoners have a drug or alcohol addiction problem. Offenders having serious drug or alcohol problems should be strongly encouraged to participate in treatment programmes with the incentive that those who do so will have more lenient conditions of confinement.
Prisoners should also be persuaded to work instead of planning to live off of criminal activities or social benefits when they are released. This strategy can only succeed if prison authorities make work rewarding. The better-behaved and more productive inmates should have access to jobs.
Perhaps the most important reform would aim to make prison life more humane. The experience of being separated from society, friends, partners, family and denied freedom is sufficient punishment. Policymakers must ensure that all prison officers are adequately trained to manage prisoners humanely. That does not mean not being violent but constantly demonstrating a will and an ability to put offenders back on track again.
Treating prisoners humanely also means providing them with decent food and recreational facilities that help them pass their free time productively. The social cost of incarceration could also be mitigated if prisons consider using new technologies that allow inmates to remain in contact with society even as they are kept physically apart. Prison should not be a five-star hotel but neither can it be a hellhole.
Prison reform must extend beyond the prison walls and into the community that receives convicts upon their release. Overcoming societal prejudice may be the toughest incarceration reform.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial