PN MP and lawyer Joe Giglio has said that discussions are currently underway with the government over police conduct certificates of individuals who have, among other things, served prison sentences, in order to begin recording the progress that they would have made.

Speaking with The Malta Independent, Giglio explained that the reform proposes that the police conduct certificate of people released from prison should not only include the offenses for which they have been convicted, but should begin to record the progress they have made while serving their sentences in prison, or during rehabilitation programs with non-governmental organisations and public bodies.

On Wednesday a National Conference on ‘Work… and Addiction?’ was organised by the OASI Foundation in collaboration with Regjun Tramuntana. The Rehabilitation In Society Malta Foundation (RISe) participated in this conference and a discussion related to work, prisoners and rehabilitation took place.

During the National Conference, Matthew Degiorgio from the RISe Foundation announced that discussions are currently ongoing on this reform.

As a reaction to such an announcement, Giglio wrote in a Facebook post that he will continue pursuing the implementation of such reforms.

He explained that currently on the conduct sheet of various individuals, there are certain convictions that are not written down, there are others that are erased after some time, and there are others that remain there and one could request authorisation to try and get them removed.

“The proposal put forward is one whereby, if you have a person who was convicted of crimes such as theft or drug use, and the person has in the meantime undergone rehabilitation and successfully completed a programme such as those run by Caritas, then that should also be listed on the persons conduct certificate,” Giglio said.

He highlighted that in this way, the police conduct would not only show the bad, but it would also take note of the good progress that the same person has made. 

“It is important that the state gives recognition to the progress that these people make,” Giglio said.

He said that if changes are made in the way a police conduct is handled, then this might also increase the chances of ex-prisoners finding work as soon as they serve their sentences. This would be more effective, and it would also send a stronger message if the state itself recognises the progress, giving it relevance, he said.