In 2016 a social research project spearheaded by Mid-Dlam Ghad-Dawl and carried out by the Institute of Family Therapy-Malta led to the publication of a book made possible through a grant from The Malta Community Chest Fund. The book 'Locked Out' proved to be immensely insightful into the plight of the families and children of inmates at the Corradino Correctional Facility. The conclusions indicated clearly how family members, whether spouses, parents, siblings or children, suffered considerably, often time through no fault of their own. Talks with the authorities eventually led to the launch of 'Locked Out', a special project dedicated to assist the families and children of inmates through professional family therapy sessions.

Just a few days ago, the next step in this process was accomplished, when a new space in Marsa was inaugurated by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. The space, opened in collaboration with Mid-Dlam Ghad-Dawl, will be seeing inmates from the Corradino Correctional Facility having the opportunity to meet their children in a safe, secure and fun ambience, away from the prison atmosphere.

MDD's Executive Manager Matthew Agius explains, "This project is different from the project 'Locked Out', but it was born from it and extends from it. At the CCF, families of inmates are allowed restricted visiting hours so that family members find very limited time to share with the inmate. It is the inmates' children who end up gaining the least access to their incarcerated parent, leading to a distancing which becomes hard to bridge once the inmate is free to return to his family life."

He pointed out that in cases where the benefits of this allowance is identified, the new project 'Jien u Int' will allow children aged 13 and under,  some extra time to spend with their parents. The clinical aspect of the project will be coordinated and delivered by the Institute of Family Therapy-Malta, and sessions will be facilitated by professional Sytemic Family Therapists. Security will be the responsibility of the Correctional Services Agency and will include scrutiny of the premises and surroundings, as well as the presence of plain clothes officers.

Project Coordinator Maria Jones is a Systemic Family Psychotherapist who has been involved with the primary service 'Locked Out' from day one and has seen how the project managed to impact so many peoples' lives in a very positive way. "The aim of 'Locked Out' was always to minimise the risk of people relapsing into criminality after their release. 'Jien u Int' is the second part of the 'Locked Out' project which will build upon those successes and achieve more. For the past year and a half our team has met tens of inmates and their families and children, and we identified the need to continue providing contact with the children beyond the prison walls. This project will help children maintain contact and bond with their parents in as neutral a place as possible, and will also be tantamount to reducing the risk of these children following on the negative steps of their incarcerated parent. With the assistance of other family therapists and psychology graduates, I shall be overseeing the therapeutic aspect of the procedures in a lively playful space that has been created to meet the exigencies of different children at different ages when at play."

With referrals reaching both projects from the CCF and from rehab programmes, the challenges have been several but Ms Jones is positive, "We have been collaborating successfully with the prison authorities and referrals are more numerous than was anticipated. The authorities are giving us very positive feedback about our work. One must understand that inmates at CCF come from all walks of life and from diverse countries. Our work goes beyond the prison walls, even after the inmate leaves prison, so that their family relationship continues to be built upon, once they return home."

'Jien u Int' is due to start operating later this year and will be initially limited to inmates serving milder sentences.