Former prisons chief Alex Dalli “suspended himself” just over a week ago after the 14th death under his watch in Corradino. Despite numerous calls for his removal, the Minister for Home Affairs, Byron Camilleri, has so far refused to as much as criticise Dalli.

That Dalli only suspended himself, instead of being suspended or removed by Camilleri, speaks volumes about the power he yields. Following Dalli’s removal, 10 inmates went on hunger strike, and 94 per cent of the prison warders signed a petition asking for his reinstatement. The petition, announced by the GWU, confirms the trade union’s misguided support for Dalli, especially after its newspaper published leaked recordings of an alleged commotion involving a whistleblower who spoke to the media about the prison director’s inhumane methods.

The ministry merely confirmed the above through separate statements, without giving any hint as to whether Dalli can, eventually, return to his former post. It is legitimate for many to wonder whether the government is effectively interested in turning over a new leaf or is silently paving the way for Dalli to return, possibly rebranding the feisty director in the process.

Camilleri has yet to accept political responsibility for Dalli’s doings. Pledging his support for the conclusions of an inquiry carried out by handpicked people, Camilleri has yet to acknowledge the Ombudsman’s inquiry into the prison administration. The second inquiry comes as a result of various reports about maladministration in the prisons, and which the independent office of the Ombudsman has embarked upon voluntarily. Camilleri cannot ignore the existence of this inquiry and should shoulder the political weight of its conclusions.

In fact, the government has the golden opportunity to reform Corradino now that Dalli is no longer in his seat. NGOs have called on new director Robert Brincau to reinstate access to the prisons, ensuring a degree of transparency which has been completely absent under Dalli’s rule. Only with the prisons open to the media and NGOs will we know the real extent of Dalli’s “disciplinary” gestation.

The government should also be interested in a more open corrective facility, not only to avoid bad publicity but also a repeat of the situation where 14 deaths occurred under the regime of a man who yields excessive control. Those deaths cannot justify what the GWU described as a prison now “devoid of drugs and violence, thus facilitating inmate rehabilitation”.

The second part of that statement is highly dubious. Prison should not be a place led by terror. Besides avoiding more deaths, it is high time for a change in direction when it comes to rehabilitating inmates. What is the point of a corrective facility that terrorises, oppresses and dehumanises a human being, when its real aim should be to rehabilitate an inmate as an active member of society?

One is also allowed to wonder why the government insists on not criticising, to the point of protecting, a former prison director who has made no qualms about his authoritarian running, so much so that he has turned Corradino into his fortress.

In this regard, various prison models around Europe are worth studying and possibly implementing. There also needs to be a solution for the overpopulation of the prisons; as a start, drug users should no longer face prison terms for simple possession, and neither should those trying to escape Malta illegally – especially if society is very clearly booting them out.

One can only hope that under Brincau’s stewardship, Corradino becomes less of a fortress and more of a corrective facility which safeguards the rights of humans, and their mental health.