The man who ran the Corradino correctional facility during one of the toughest periods in its 156-year history died on Tuesday aged 73.
Ronnie Theuma, who first joined the police force in 1952, was yesterday described by police and crime historian Eddie Attard as "one of the best directors of prison Malta ever had".
Mr Theuma had spent a decade running the prison, having originally been appointed acting director in 1977 when he was a police inspector. His appointment was made in the wake of a prison revolt that required the intervention of armed police reinforcements to quell the uprising.
Mr Theuma resigned his post in 1988 after a magisterial inquiry found among other things that several prisoners held in solitary confinement had been left without any clothing during December 1985.
Mr Attard attributed to Mr Theuma a number of improvements in prison including a general clean-up and the installation of a toilet in each cell with all works carried out by the inmates themselves.
Prisoners at the time were complaining they were being locked in too early and Mr Theuma organised football matches for them both to pass the time and burn some energy.
"Mr Theuma was a strict disciplinarian but when he felt the need to, he gave prisoners enough rope which he would then pull back as and when he thought fit.
"He even decided one day to take the prisoners for a swim at Manoel Island," Mr Attard recalled.
Mr Theuma had compiled a report wherein he suggested that certain prisoners should carry out community service as part of their sentence. But this then avant garde proposal was in fact shelved.
Mr Theuma also featured prominently in a controversial prison break in the early 1980s, at a time when the country was in a deep political crisis.
Inmate Louis Bartolo, who was accused of shooting dead John Bondin, known as Il-Fusellu, escaped from prison on June 10, 1982 together with another prisoner, Ahmed Khalil Habib, a Palestinian charged with slaying a Lebanese man in Gzira.
Mr Bartolo mysteriously slipped out of the country and on his return in June 1987, he stood trial and was found not guilty of Mr Bondin's murder.
During court proceedings, Mr Bartolo alleged that Mr Theuma had been involved in the escape of the Palestinian inmate and was rewarded for his part by a group of Arabs.
A magisterial inquiry into this allegation, however, found that there was no basis for such allegations which "showed a certain animosity vis-à-vis the prison authorities".
Thus, Mr Theuma was cleared of the allegations made in his regard.
The history of the prison in Malta, including the inquiries held there, are recorded in Mr Attard's book Il-Habs: L-Istorja Tal-Habs F'Malta mill-1800 sa l-2000.