We had high hopes that things would be turned around at the Corradino Correctional Facility. We thought that new management would bring about the necessary change in mentality, and the courage to do things the right way. One cannot help but notice the humanitarian improvements compared to what used to happen not so long ago.

However, this should not be the sole benchmark for the standards we expect. Unfortunately, much more is required, and the situation has once again deteriorated significantly.

In the past few weeks, the prisons were in the news for all the wrong reasons. This is once again a very worrying situation, one that needs to be addressed immediately.

While the rest of us are trying our best to survive the wrath of yet another Maltese summer – playing relay race from one airconditioned environment to another – at Corradino things are more reminiscent of older, more uncivilised times.

In 2024, cells at Malta’s national correctional facility lack any form of modern cooling systems, rendering them virtually uninhabitable, layering hardship on the residents. The situation is reportedly unbearable, amounting to nothing short of inhuman treatment of fellow human beings.

Let’s make it very clear, no one is advocating for the place to be turned into a luxury resort. However, substandard conditions are not conducive to a correctional journey that leads to reformed individuals. We have come a long way from the days of Alexandre Dumas and his depictions of imprisonment. In fact, in modern societies, we place an emphasis on reform, and helping our inmates to become better, functional members of society, rather than taking vendetta on them for their ill deeds.

If we leave this situation to deteriorate further, we are sending a strong message to our inmates, that society is abandoning them completely, when this should not be the case.

This goes beyond the simple installation of air conditioning in the cells. It is a dire need for a complete reform of the entire system. However, in the very immediate term, our prisoners are suffering, so immediate action is needed.

Being in prison, lifted out of your community, far from your loved ones, with no freedom, is what the correctional punishment should be. Anything else layered on top, constitutes a breach of human dignity. In addition to ensuring decent living conditions and a humane environment, the administration must shift its focus toward reforming inmates. Prisons should function as institutions for character and behavioural rehabilitation, instilling discipline and hope for change. Since the vast majority of inmates will eventually re-enter society, it is crucial to decide how they will reintegrate. We must choose between helping them make amends and learning not to re-commit their past mistakes or releasing them into society with the same behaviours and attitudes that led to their incarceration, if not worse.

However, the heat, albeit a serious and urgent issue, is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg.  Also in the past few weeks, we heard how secret meetings between high-profile inmate Yorgen Fenech and other third parties were held with the blessing of CCF Head of Strategy Svetlana Muscat. How is it that a number of weeks have elapsed already and we still have no answers, or any form of responsibility being shouldered?

We have levelled several questions at the Ministry about the shocking revelations, but sadly we are still waiting for answers. How on God’s green earth was this allowed to happen? Do we know what the subject matter of these meetings was? Why wasn’t the approved and structured way of holding meetings with inmates used for these particular meetings?

…and moreover, why was Ms Muscat placed on forced indefinite leave? Do we know more about the nature of the meetings than what was communicated? Were steps taken against Yorgen Fenech? And finally, just as a point of interest, how was Ms Muscat promoted to the post of Head of Strategy from Communications Coordinator in the first place?

Sadly, I doubt we will ever receive any answers for these questions, as we have now gotten used to the way things are done in public administration. Even more sad is the fact that I am almost certain that no one will shoulder the responsibility for this shocking episode, and things will proceed as usual.

Also in the past few days, we heard how a resident attempted to commit suicide, and if it weren’t for the timely intervention of the guards on duty, probably they would have managed. I salute the guards who saved this person’s life and thank them for their sense of duty.

We must aspire for a better situation at our national correctional facility, one where people are truly reformed as they are helped to understand their mistakes and become better people.

Dr Darren Carabott is the Opposition’s Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Reforms, and President of the Public Accounts Committee.