The climate of fear of reprisal at the Corradino Correctional Facility is such that prisoners fear to appeal from disciplinary action, a former prison inmate wrote in a manifesto.
The former inmate penned a manuscript which was anonymously sent to this newsroom as well as the Office of the Ombudsman, the Board of inquiry looking into the internal prison procedures and the Home Affairs Ministry, among others. The 41-page document details the treatment of prisoners at the Corradino Correctional Facility and outlines the issues seen and experienced by this former prisoner.
The manuscript makes reference to the inmate’s handbook, which is given to prisoners upon their entry into the Corradino Correctional Facility. The former inmate states that a prisoner has the right to question his punishment, put forward his case, and appeal to the prison board if one feels unjustly punished.
“The climate of fear of reprisal from the director by prisoners for doing so is such that prisoners fear to appeal to the existing board.”
On Sunday, this newsroom reported that the ways in which disciplinary actions are meted out at the Corradino Correctional Facility are “slipshod and rarely follow a prescribed procedure”, which allows for various parties in authority “to abuse their power as it goes unchecked by any external board,” according to the former prisoner’s manuscript.
The author makes reference to the inmate’s handbook section that deals with “requests”. This section reads that an inmate “may put forward a request to see the Director, the Monitoring Board or a member of the Monitoring Board. Such requests are to be made through the Inmate Services Office.” It also outlines that complaints made by inmates are to be recorded by the Correctional Officer receiving such complaint and promptly pass it on to the director. “All requests by inmates shall be made at the Inmate Services Office, which requests are to be recorded in writing in the inmate’s file. Specific forms for written requests, complaints or petitions can be obtained from the Inmate Services Office or from Correctional Officers who are in direct contact with inmates. Inmates may submit verbal requests, complaints or petitions.”
It adds that only after having extinguished all internal remedies, an inmate may resort to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The former inmate writes: “I’ve never seen a request form, complaint form or a petition form. Any officers I had asked were not knowledgeable about this procedure and have never been directed to Inmate Services to do so.”
The author states that “inmates are afraid to contact the Ombudsman for fear of reprisal.” The author suggests that a line of confidential access communication should be instituted to ensure this right.
Colonel Alex Dalli recently suspended himself after another inmate suicide. This was the 14th prison death under his watch. The Home Affairs Ministry had ordered an internal review of prison processes. The inquiry is set to report back to the ministry with its findings and recommendations at the end of this month. A number of magisterial inquiries into prisoner deaths are also underway.