The legacy of the George Cross
The editorial (April 14) on the legacy of the George Cross is thought provoking. It reminds us of the great fortitude and sheer courage shown by our forefathers and that “the price of democracy is eternal vigilance”.
The editorial mentions the tragedy of Ukraine. Unfortunately, our own state broadcaster is not a million miles removed from Russian spin. We have seen how the pope’s blunt words about Malta today were carefully doctored to cover only our geographical position, bla, bla, bla… and no mention of warnings about the evils of corruption and the greed that has devoured our country.
One hopes that the Maltese conscience still exists. Somewhere. And that were we to be confronted with the equivalent of Hitler’s war machine today, we would not capitulate post haste; for the price of a few passports.
May the Easter season, just passed, leave a legacy of reflection, peace and true national unity, supported by actions and not just fluffy words.
Anna Micallef – Sliema
Innovative idea
With 79 MPs in the house, isn’t it time for a walking and cycling commissioner?
Jim Wightman – St Julian’s
Overcrowded correctional facilities
I refer to the news item ‘CCF snubs Council of Europe annual penal statistics’ (April 11) wherein it is reported that Malta’s incarceration rate stood at 154.1 per 100,000 of the population, well above the 116.7 average for the rest of Europe.
Our ever-increasing inmate population is a major contributor to problems, including lower staff morale, security and control difficulties, increased health and well-being problems for staff and inmates, increased levels of conflict and violence and failure of rehabilitation resulting in increased re-offending.
It cannot be excluded that such a situation might easily be one of the causes of the recent spate of suicide committed by inmates and attempted suicide by others.
While building or expanding correctional facilities’ capacity can reduce overcrowding, there are things that can be done to improve conditions in the overcrowded Corradino Correctional Facility. Actually solving overcrowding at our correctional facilities requires a firm commitment from the government and cooperation within the justice system.
A number of important pieces of legislation passed by the last two legislatures have gone a long way to contribute to the task of somehow reducing the inmate population. Examples that spring to mind are decriminalising a number of offences and other meaningful alternatives for punishment.
Other creative measures taken to address the overcrowding problem have included the use of probation and community service as an alternative to detention, legislators adopting sentencing reforms to reduce the length of sentences and parole boards being given authority to release early and supervise inmates who pose little danger to society.
Such alternatives could easily be increased by convening a meeting with judges, politicians, community leaders, lawyers and other relevant groups to discuss the use of alternative community-based punishments rather than detention for non-dangerous offenders. One could consider holding the meeting at the Corradino facility to expand awareness of existing conditions.
From whichever angle one views the problem, correction at our correctional facility is needed at the earliest possible.
Mark Said – Msida