A bill which introduces electronic tagging will start being discussed in Parliament ‘in the coming weeks,’ a spokesperson from the Home Affairs Ministry told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

The long-proposed ‘Electric Monitoring Bill,’ still on its first reading in Parliament since 2021, allows for the court to order electronic tagging in select circumstances, also meaning that pressure on the prison infrastructure will be cut down.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri had, last November, pledged that electronic tagging would be introduced in 2024, with the Ministry now confirming that it will be discussed in just a matter of weeks.

Tagging will apply in cases where a prison sentence of not more than a year is handed down, as well as when a restraining order is issued, or when the court issues a temporary protection order in cases of domestic violence.

Electronic tags could also be used on prisoners who are granted prison leave, or people allowed out on parole. Despite calls from legal professionals, electronic tags would not be used for those who are on police bail for serious crimes, according to the bill.

A call for a tender to provide electronic tags was issued in November 2022.

Former PN MP Franco Debono had first proposed such a bill back in 2012, and discussions on electronic tags spanned over a decade, yet it failed to be implemented into law. In 2021, Camilleri had then tabled the bill for its first reading in Parliament, after an initial White Paper, and a consultation process.

The issue had returned to the spotlight when Jomic Calleja Maatouk, a man convicted of importing explosives and trying to buy lethal poisons, fled the country along with his partner, and have been missing since. Calleja Maatouk was out on bail after appealing his conviction.

The bill also aims to provide victims of domestic violence wearable panic alarms, which gives the person’s location to emergency services when pressed.

The Malta Independent on Sunday submitted questions to the Home Affairs Ministry on the country’s potential need for a new, modernised prison facility. Questions were raised as to whether the current prison facility is adequate for today’s realities.

The Ministry was asked if there had been talks of an extension, or the building of a new, larger prison altogether. In 2021, the PN had issued some proposals with regards to prison overcrowding, which included the proposal for a structural extension of the current prison facility.

Among the PN’s proposals were also the repatriation of foreign prisoners to their countries, introducing legislation regarding electronic tagging, and developing a parole concept based on age and physical health, intended for prisoners facing serious conditions.

PN MP and Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Darren Carabott, who took over the home affairs portfolio in the shadow Cabinet reshuffle made by PN leader Bernard Grech in January, confirmed with this newsroom that these proposals remain valid today, to address the current situation and conditions.

Replying to a related parliamentary question Carabott had made, Minister Camilleri said that the maximum number of persons the Agency can hold is at present, 817 prisoners.

The Ministry’s spokesperson said that the bill introducing electronic tagging includes provisions for an alternative to imprisonment for short prison terms (one year) with some exceptions, which, in turn, reduces the pressure on the prison’s infrastructure.

She said that ongoing infrastructural improvements at the Correctional Services Agency (CSA) include the enhancement of the Corradino Correctional Facilities (CCF) and other correctional facilities nationwide.

On modernisation of the prison, the government spokesperson said that “notable progress includes the establishment of modern medical facilities and the recent opening of a new female division focused on mother and childcare. Refurbishment of existing male divisions are also being performed.”

Additionally, she said that the new child-friendly visitation facility has been operating for the last few months, along with a dedicated facility for the Prisons’ Multi-Disciplinary team, that coordinate the care plans of the inmates amongst other duties.

There is also more investment being made in halfway rehabilitation focused houses for inmates transitioning from prison, such as the recent opening in Vittoriosa.

She said that the Home Affairs Ministry is working with another NGO to open another similar house in the next few months.

“Collaborations with rehabilitation-focused NGOs are increasing, enhancing drug rehabilitation programmes and halfway house management,” the spokesperson said.

The Ministry spokesperson said that plans outlined in government’s electoral programme for a rehabilitation centre within Corradino have also commenced.

“Such a centre will not only increase capacity but provide the first ever purposely built rehab-dedicated building within CCF,” she said.