Another inmate died at the Corradino Correctional Facility this week, but the authorities carried on as if it was business as usual.

The latest case involved an inmate who was awaiting to be extradited to the United States to face sexual abuse charges. Like others before him, the man took his own life.

Now we do not know the full details about this man and his case, but it is clear that something is very, very wrong at Kordin. If this were an isolated case, it would have been different. After all, prisoners commit suicide all over the world. But this was the tenth case in the space of two years which, for a country a small as ours, is very significant.

The government, it seems, has not even launched an inquiry into the death.

Now one might think that there is no need for an inquiry – that this was a clear case of suicide and that the authorities did what they could to try and save the man’s life. But an inquiry is definitely needed. It would look not at the actual cause of death, but rather at whether the prison authorities – including mental health professionals – could have known what was to come and whether this senseless death could have been prevented.

An inquiry could also look into past cases too, into what feels like a systemic failure to protect inmates. Yes, most of the people who are in prison deserve to be there, but at the same time, the state has a duty of care towards them. They are still human beings and cannot be left to rot, both physical and mentally, until suicide becomes their only way out.

One must also question the way in which the prison is being run.

The prison director, Colonel Alexander Dalli, prides himself in running Corradino like a military facility. He is known to be strict and has declared that his methods have eradicated drugs. In a recent interview, Dalli spoke about the level of cleanliness inside the prison, about how inmates have been given jobs and a sense of purpose. But his moment of glory was short lived, with news of the latest fatality coming out only hours after the article was published.

While these methods might be working for some, they are clearly not working for everyone.

Ten people have died over a 24-month period. The Nationalist Party was quick to condemn the incident and call for answers. Now, while the PN is partly trying to take political mileage out of the situation, it is right in demanding answers from the responsible minister.

While it is true that people died in prison under Nationalist administrations too, the number of prison deaths over the past two years is just two high to ignore.

Apart from an inquiry, the government should also run a thorough review of the prison system in Malta, identify the shortcomings and fix them.

Just because one has been condemned to spend months or years behind bars for crimes committed does not mean that society should forget about them. People living in confined spaces for long periods of time are more prone to suffer from mental health issues and these have to be identified and dealt with in the best way possible.

It is useless to boast about the “successes” achieved beyond the prison walls, and about how Covid-19 was locked out when people are dying so frequently at Kordin.

Furthermore, all people should be given dignity, even in death. A short press release will not suffice. We are talking here about human beings, and they should not be treated only as numbers, forgotten after a few days.