144-cells expansion for Corradino correctional facility inaugurated

A new correctional complex was inaugurated yesterday behind the existing prisons by Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg.

The complex, built on 14 tumoli of land on the plans of architects George Buhagiar and Paul Cini, is divided into three divisions, making it a more comfortable and secure place, director Sandro Gatt said.

Dr Borg said works on the new complex, which cost more than Lm5.5 million, included a new gatehouse, the YOURS (Young Offenders Rehabilitation Service) wing, a new kitchen, a boiler house and a security fence.

It includes 144 cells with all the facilities one expected in a modern prison, a new hall for visits by family members, and a complex of offices which could be used by the hospital administration.

The system, Dr Borg said, was aimed at respecting the human dignity of each prisoner.

He said that the YOURS section was completely separate from the rest of the prison, and it was just for prisoners aged under 26.

It was built with the precise aim of keeping young prisoners separated from the others. In the same way, women prisoners also had a separate division. The new complex would enable more classification of residents.

Dr Borg referred to changes in legislation enabling, for the first time, community work instead of imprisonment and other sentences combining imprisonment with work outside the prison. This was important for prisoners to understand the damage they would have caused and work to make good for it.

The minister said that the current prison population numbered 301, of whom 98 were foreigners. A total 76 of the foreigners were from north and central African countries.

Each prisoner had all the medical services available, including a doctor, a dentist, a nurse, psychiatric care and a social worker.

In the past three years, 17 prisoners passed their SEC exam, seven passed their "A" levels, one obtained a wireman's licence while two started a university course.

Dr Borg said that efforts have been made throughout the years to equip the Corradino Correctional Facilities, which have been there for 153 years, with the most basic needs one expected in a civil society.

But the need for a completely new prison complex had been felt for a long time.

He said that the Correctional Facilities were one of only a few prisons in Europe and around the world, if not the only one, in which every prisoner had his or her own cell.