The Ombudsman issued a damning report about the Corradino Correctional Facility as it was under Colonel Alexander Dalli's tenure as the Director of Prisons.

The period under review spanned from July 2018 (when Col. Dalli was appointed to this post) to December 2021 (when he relinquished his position).

A statement by the Ombudsman about the report, read there was systemic maladministration. It also read that evidence pointed to deliberate and systematic subjection of some inmates to degrading treatment, in clear violation of the Prisons Regulations and potentially Article 138 of the Criminal Code. (i.e. Malicious violation of official duties by a public officer).

Prisoners are already paying for their crime while incarcerated, and the aim of a prison is to try and reform them. But the above shows that the situation went beyond what is acceptable.

The investigation found that intimidation was frequently resorted to in pursuit of specific goals, chiefly to maintain discipline, to prevent the introduction of contraband, and to safeguard overall prison security, the Ombudsman's statement said. "Intimidation often led to or was employed alongside degrading treatment. It is important to note that the goals-such as upholding prison security-are not inherently unlawful. However, the prevailing mentality within the CCF was that 'any means' were acceptable to achieve these ends, thus undermining the rule of law and fostering abuses of human dignity."

In addition, the report also mentions "the rampant racism and lack of respect for human dignity that emerges from the evidence collected." There is absolutely no excuse for such behaviour, and any prison workers who took part in such actions should be immediately fired.

The Ombudsman said that there is no doubt that the CCF was, during the period under review, rendered significantly less permeable to drugs. "However, this investigation firmly upholds the principle that in a State governed by the rule of law, legitimate ends cannot justify means that contravene statutory requirements or undermine human dignity," the Ombudsman wrote, and he is right. Eradicating drug use imprison, and keeping it that way, is of course extremely important. But better ways of handling it should have been found.

Regarding the occurrence of prison deaths and suicides during the period, The Ombudsman is "morally convinced" that vulnerable inmates were negatively impacted by the harsh treatment upon their admission and thereafter.

So then, who is responsible?

The government had highlighted the changes that took place since then in a statement it published after the report was published, such as the introduction of a care plan for every prisoner who enters the prison. But highlighting that changes have been made is not enough.

The biggest change of course is that Dalli is no longer there, thankfully. Although he still holds a government job.

But a police investigation must commence, if it hasn't already started, into the activity at the prison during that period. It would be wrong to shrug this report off and say changes have been made since then. If some are found to have committed abuses, then they must be held responsible. And responsibility does not just mean being fired from the job either. The courts should decide on the punishment.

Political responsibility should also be carried for what happened.