After another prison death as a result of a suicide attempt it is essential that government takes steps to subject the operational aspects of prison to a public inquiry. This was emphasised this morning by ADPD Deputy General Secretary Dr Melissa Bagley during a press conference in Paola, in front of the Corradino Correctional Facility.
Dr Bagley stated that even prison should be a place where human dignity is respected. “It is unacceptable for prison management to be based on threats and on instilling fear. Instead of rehabilitation, prison is the cause of mental and emotional illness. No one should be subject to inhuman and degrading treatment, not even in prison. Prison should be a place which helps the rehabilitation of prisoners.”
ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo emphasised that a recent proposal to do away with solitary confinement as punishment in prison made sense in view of research results which identifies the substantial psychological damage which such punishment causes. He emphasised that the prison management should not operate on the whims of its director, who justifies inhuman and degrading treatment by citing the reduction of access to drugs in prison.
Police and Military personnel should have no role in prison management. Prison management should be taken up by personnel adequately trained in rehabilitation of inmates. In a healthy democracy, Cacopardo emphasised, the military and police have no role in managing civil prisons.
Cacopardo added that the Minister for the Interior should desist from propping up Colonel Dalli. The Minister, has through lack of action become an accomplice in the developing prison crisis. He is politically responsible for the repeated deaths and attempted suicides.
The prison population in Malta increased by 15% between 2019 and 2020. This fact together with the statistic that 25% of the prison population are there on drug related cases indicates the importance we should attach to a quick shift of drug rehabilitation programmes away from the failed criminal justice model towards a decriminalised socio-medical model as practiced in Portugal.
The suicide rate in our prisons is also alarmingly high when compared to that in other prisons. Prison needs social care workers, specialised educators and other professionally trained personnel. Instead, it has been unfortunately been transformed into a military camp.
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Trattament inuman u degradanti m’hu postu mkien, lanqas il-ħabs
Wara l-mewt ta’ persuna oħra fil-ħabs, riżultat ta’ attentat ta’ suwiċidju, l-gvern għandu immedjatament jiftaħ inkjesta pubblika dwar il-mod kif qed jitmexxa l-ħabs. Dan qalitu d-Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD Dr Melissa Bagley dalgħodu quddiem il-Faċilità Korrettiva ta’ Kordin, Raħal Ġdid.
Dr Bagley qalet li anke l-ħabs għandu jkun post fejn id-dinjita` ta’ kull persuna tkun rispettata. “Ma jistax ikollna ħabs immexxi bil-biża’ u t-theddid li flok jirrijabilità dawk li jidħlu fih jispiċċa jmarradhom mentalment u emozzjonalment. Trattament inuman u degradanti m’hu postu mkien, lanqas il-ħabs. Għax persuna tinsab il-ħabs ma jfissirx li l-istat għandu jkun vendikattiv, inuman u degradanti. Il-ħabs hu post għar-rijabilitazzjoni mhux għat-tpattija”.
Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD Carmel Cacopardo qal li l-proposta li saret dan l-aħħar li permezz tagħha jitneħħa l-iżolament (solitary confinement) bħala kastig, tagħmel sens anke fid-dawl ta’ riċerka li turi l-effett ta’ ħsara psikoloġika fuq min iġarrabha. Qal ukoll li min imexxi l-ħabs ma jistax jibqa’ jmexxi kif irid bl-iskuża li rnexxielu jnaqqas l-aċċess għad-droga fil-ħabs.
Il-ħabs m’għandux jitmexxa la minn persuni militari u l-anqas minn Pulizija imma min-nies imħarrġa b’mod speċjalizzat fil-kura rijabilitattiva, emfasizza Cacopardo. Il-militar u l-Pulizija m’għandhomx rwol fit-tmexxija tal-ħabs ta’ demokrazija b’saħħitha.
Cacopardo tenna li jekk il-Ministru tal-intern ser jibqa’ jaqbeż għall-Kurunell Dalli, id-Direttur tal-ħabs u ma jagħmel xejn, il-Ministru stess ikun kompliċi għat-trattament inuman u degradanti li għaddej il-ħabs. Agħar minn hekk ikollu jdejh imċappsa bid-demm ta’ min jispiċċa jħallas b’ħajtu għal dan kollu.
Il-popolazzjoni tal-ħabs f’Malta żdiedet bi 15% bejn l-2019 u l-2020. Dan flimkien mal-fatt li 25% tal-persuni l-ħabs qegħdin hemm fuq kazijiet relatati mad-droga juri li hemm bżonn aktar emfasi fuq rijabilitazzjoni għal min għandu l-vizzju tad-droga u anke ta’ riforma fil-fond bħad-dekriminalizazzjoni tad-droga – biex nimxu lejn mudell soċjomediku minflok il-mudell fallut tal-ġustizzja kriminali. Agħar minn hekk ir-rata ta’ suwiċidji fil-ħabs hija allarmanti. Il-ħabs għandu bżonn ta’ ħaddiema soċjali, għalliema speċjalizzati u professjonisti oħra u mhux li jkun trasformat f’kamp militari.
