The prison inquiry’s terms of reference must include the director’s cruel methods.

After the second suicide attempt in as many months, the Ministry for Home Affairs has launched an inquiry into the procedures adopted by the Correctional Services Agency.

While deeply regrettable that it has taken 12 lives and countless suicide attempts for the Ministry to abandon its blind faith in prison director Alex Dalli, Moviment Graffitti now hopes that the terms of reference include an investigation into the cruel methods known to be used within the facility. Unfortunately, the terms of reference of this inquiry focus on the inmates at risk of suicide, rather than evaluate the prison system, Moviment Graffitti said.

In Malta, such so-called independent inquiries, which in actual fact are controlled by Government, have a history of leading to insignificant conclusions and recommendations that serve as a smokescreen to wrongdoing and totally fail to address structural issues.

Noting that the inquiry board’s members have also been handpicked by the government, Moviment Graffitti added that the board members’ loyalty should be to justice and not to the State. Board members should include civil society representatives and inmates’ families to ensure a wide range of views, Moviment Graffitti proposed.

“The negligence if not outright maliciousness displayed by prison director Alex Dalli has led, and continues to lead, to loss of life,” the group said.

“Evidence of Dalli’s working methods that has made it out of the prison’s thick walls over the last years points to an obsession with discipline over compassion, and ceremony over the pragmatic needs of rehabilitation.”

The lack of care shown for the good health of inmates at CSA means that the increase in senseless deaths seen over the last years is likely to continue, while the public remains in the dark as the facts surrounding each case remains hidden by both the prison and the Home Affairs Ministry.

For this reason, it is imperative that the findings of the independent inquiry board are made public, Moviment Graffitti said. This inquiry should not be used to justify wrongdoing or to propose weak or irrelevant recommendations as similar inquiries have done in the past.

The victims’ families and the general public deserve to know what is going on behind the prison walls.

Riforma serja tal-ħabs meħtieġa immedjatament.

It-termini ta’ referenza tal-inkjesta tal-ħabs għandhom jinkludu l-metodi krudili tad-direttur

Wara t-tieni attentat ta’ suwiċidju fl-istess numru ta’ xhur, il-Ministeru għall-Affarijiet Interni nieda inkjesta dwar il-proċeduri adottati mill-Aġenzija għas-Servizzi Korrettivi.

Filwaqt li jiddispjaċih immens li ħadet 12-il ħajja u għadd ta’ attentati ta’ suwiċidju biex il-Ministeru jabbanduna l-fidi għamja tiegħu fid-direttur tal-ħabs Alex Dalli, Moviment Graffitti issa jittama li t-termini ta’ referenza jinkludu investigazzjoni dwar il-metodi krudili li huma magħrufa li jintużaw fil-faċilita’. Sfortunatament, it-termini ta’ referenza ta’ din l-inkjesta jiffokaw fuq il-priġunieri f’riskju ta’ suwiċidju, iktar milli jevalwaw is-sistema tal-ħabs, qal Moviment Graffitti.

F’Malta, l-hekk imsejħa inkjesti indipendenti, li fil-fatt huma ikkontrollati mill-Gvern, għandhom storja li jwasslu għal konklużjonijiet u rakkomandazzjonijiet insinifikanti li jservu biss bħala paraventu għall-għemil ħażin, u totalment jonqsu milli jindirizzaw kwistjonijiet strutturali.

Waqt li nnota li l-membri tal-bord ġew magħżula mill-gvern, Moviment Graffitti żied li l-lealta’ tal-membri tal-bord għandha tkun lejn il-ġustizzja u mhux lejn l-Istat. Il-membri tal-bord għandhom jinkludu rappreżentanti tas-soċjeta’ ċivili u l-familji tal-priġunieri biex jiżguraw firxa wiesgħa ta’ fehmiet, ippropona Moviment Graffitti.

“In-negliġenza jekk mhux il-malizzja diretta murija mid-direttur tal-ħabs Alex Dalli wasslet, u għadha twassal, għat-telf ta’ ħajjiet,” qal il-grupp.

“L-evidenza tal-metodi ta’ ħidma ta’ Dalli li ħarġet mill-ħitan ħoxnin tal-ħabs matul dawn l-aħħar snin tindika ossessjoni bid-dixxiplina minflok il-kumpassjoni, u biċ-ċerimonji minflok il-ħtiġijiet pragmatiċi tar-riabilitazzjoni.”

In-nuqqas ta’ interess fis-saħħa tal-priġunieri fis-CSA tfisser li ż-żieda fl-imwiet li dehru matul l-aħħar snin aktarx li se tkompli, filwaqt li l-pubbliku jibqa’ fid-dlam hekk kif il-fatti li jdawru kull każ jibqgħu moħbija kemm mill-ħabs kif ukoll mill-Ministeru għall-Affarijiet Interni.

Għalhekk, huwa imperattiv li s-sejbiet tal-bord tal-inkjesta indipendenti jsiru pubbliċi, qal Moviment Graffitti. Din l-inkjesta mgħandhiex tintuża biex tiġġustifika għemil ħażin jew biex tipproponi rakkomandazzjonijiet dgħajfa jew irrilevanti kif għamlu inkjesti simili fil-passat.

Kemm il-familji tal-vittmi u kif ukoll il-pubbliku jistħoqqilhom ikunu jafu x’qed jiġri wara l-ħitan tal-ħabs.