Parliamentary Ombudsman Anthony Mifsud has found that intimidation of prisoners in the Corradino Correctional Facility was “frequently resorted to in pursuit of specific goals” and “often led to or was employed alongside degrading treatment” between 2018 and 2021.
Corradino has around 680 inmates and has served as Malta’s main place of detention since 1842. While the goals in question were not inherently unlawful – for example, to maintain discipline, prevent the introduction of contraband, and safeguard overall prison security – there was a prevailing attitude that “any means” were acceptable to achieve these ends, thus undermining the rule of law and human dignity. Incidents of intimidation have been reported in detail by the Times of Malta.
Mr Mifsud’s report, published on 31 January, noted that imprisonment is a punishment imposed by a competent court following a finding of guilt or (for unconvicted prisoners) solely to protect the integrity of ongoing criminal proceedings. However, a detainee should not be further punished through dehumanising or degrading treatment. Standards for prison conditions are set down in the Prisons Regulations and, for all prisoners, must conform with the law, be necessary in a democratic society, and genuinely aim to achieve justifiable segregation or maintain security and discipline.
The report also found a poor understanding of inmates’ rights (and the mechanisms available for redress when regulations were breached), a “pervasive lack of clarity” regarding roles and responsibilities, and failure to maintain mandatory registers or produce them (or Standard Operating Procedures) upon request.
In response to the Ombudsman’s finding of ‘systemic maladministration’, the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment highlighted several changes since the time covered by the report, including an office for prisoner welfare, three half-way houses (including one for female inmates), and a mother and child section for the female division. The ministry added that there are now over 40 Standard Operating Procedures and 87 psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers employed to assist in the prison’s rehabilitation work.
A separate follow-up report by the National Audit Office (NAO), published in November 2024 looked at progress since the NAO’s report into Corradino in 2021. It found that a pilot project was under way to redesign a typical cell with an enlarged window, new flooring, improved storage space and new furniture. Most cells, though, remained in a similar state of repair as noted in 2021 and lacked basic maintenance such as repainted walls.
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