The situation in our prisons is rotten and decayed.  The never-ending criticism is not a fib.  If one had to join the dots, we would soon realize that this Institution, which has never been given the importance it deserves over a number of decades, has during these last years found itself at its lowest.

With 66% recidivism, over 70% of inmates who had family members there as well (manifesting a worrying situation of intergenerational crime), 13 deaths, some of which are suicides, inquiries that are commissioned but outcomes never known, rampant use of solitary confinement, use of restraining chair and bed, alleged heavy handedness, reported manhandling of immigrants, large groups of inmates stuffed in cells which hold one or two inmates, cells which lack proper health amenities and yards, lack of education opportunities and all of this in an Institution that has been militarized and governed by an ethos of fear and coercion. 

Unfortunately, politicians from the government side and their lackeys have endorsed this bedlam. Added to this, the committees that govern this institution are hardly effective and we are left with an important loop in the criminal justice system which has crashed. What we have now on our hands is not simply a prison reform or some patchwork but really and truly we need to go back to the drawing board.

In fact, recently in consultation with the long-standing prison activist Peppi Azzopardi, we laid out 100 ideas which have been reported extensively.  These proposals have drawn from research and existing successful international prison models, discussions I have regularly with NGOs and experts in the criminology, psychology and social policy fields.  

Whilst mentioning them all here is impossible, I feel that the first action that needs to be taken is that of removing the Director Colonel, who from my assessment and according to people who know him well, doesn’t seem to have the emotional intelligence and the ability to do the necessary change management needed in this sector. 

His management model is despotic, and his intentions from the start is to ‘play solider’ and create a culture of fear (vide the infamous notice he stuck in his office). Somebody needs to remind this conceited, self-loving and self-obsessed person that he is not fit to run this Institution. 

If he was so good at the Army why not reinstate him?  Some credit him with stopping drug trafficking in prison but it boiled down to simple straight forward initiatives that didn’t require special intellectual skills but basic decisions that should have been made ages ago; introduce scanners, urine tests, the occasional dog searches and removing the corrupt prison officials.  However, the real challenge is that drug addicts get their minds away from this terrible addition and are healed. 

The irony in all of this is that the latest two cases of suicide were themselves victims of drug abuse and no programs were forthcoming. Apart from that this Director Colonel, who is known as code name ‘Zero’ and loves it when he has to bear his sword, has turned the prison into his ‘fiefdom’ rather than it being led by protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

I want the over €120,000,000 spent on the prisons over a legislature to lead towards reformed people instead of having a growing cluster of individuals who come out of the system worse than they have entered it.  I want our communities to be safer.  I want to have neighbors who even though they had to make time are now gracious and I am not fearful for my and my family’s safety.

Let’s keep in mind that most, the large majority, except for the few lifers and the small group of inmates who do more than 25 years will be out in a jiffy.    

In the first instance it is natural that we need a Prison is to ensure security and order.  However, the notions of rehabilitation in our prison have been relegated and having a growing cohort of professionals is not enough to appease this situation especially if they not left to operate serenely.   At the end of the day, we need to have inmates coming out of that system prepared to face life and not come out dehumanized and broken.

There are some urgent matters we need to deal with before we even think of getting the prison in order.  We need to start by a modern purposely built facility. The current building is ill-equipped.  In whatever way we try to arrange the place it will never provide the structure that is so needed for today’s corrections.  Apart from that the building represents a failure of the State. 

Even before that, comes the issue of training.  Training of staff needs to be moved to the Academy, as it should and is legally bound to do.  We need to move from a punishing model to a rehabilitative model – the short comings of that building are too big to be able to make a proper change mentality. 

We also need the ‘craziness’ to stop.  For example, allegedly culling pigeons illegally and without the necessary safeguards is senseless but also typical of the wrong judgment calls being made by the leadership and all happens whilst the Minister looks uneasily. 

Solitary confinement needs to be stopped. The damage it brings on people is incredible and long-lasting. 

In as far as prison education is concerned, this together with the work opportunities should be at the forefront of our training programs. You need people to be absorbed in work and study.  These shouldn’t be privileges but seen as duties and part of the routine.  The government entities need to make space for these people to be reintegrated – they should be exemplary.  Private entities should follow suit and proper schemes developed.    

The list of ideas Peppi and myself proposed are endless. 

We talk about proper transitioning programs, improved training of the judiciary, NGOs should be ever present, prison committees should be made up of experts not the flunkies, personality testing done for every member of staff, starting from the leadership, therapy must be part of the day’s routine and not a privilege dictated by the Director Colonel and restorative justice would be at the spine of all the services we provide.

The agenda is indeed an ambitious one but doable if the right people are in place.  Big decisions need to be made and now.