Prime Minister Robert Abela insists he has full faith in Prison Director Alex Dalli in the wake of yet another death inside the Corradino Correctional Facility.

Speaking in a press conference earlier today, Abela said that he also backed the magisterial inquiry into the incident – and would wait for its conclusion before taking a position on the fatal incident.

A magisterial inquiry was opened soon after the inmate’s suicide attempt on 16th June. She had last seen a psychiatrist monitoring on 3rd June – almost two weeks before. 

The psychiatrist had claimed that she was making progress and was not a suicide risk.

The woman had been serving a two-year jail term after admitting to the theft of a few mobile phones. Magistrate Doreen Clarke noted she had cooperated with the police and her desire to undergo a drug rehabilitation programme. 

Still, she was never put on a drug rehabilitation programme and was awaiting a decision from the Prison Addiction Rehabilitation Management Board.

As of March 2021, there were 38 inmates receiving methadone treatment and over 185 prisoners receiving psychological treatment to help them overcome their drug addiction.

That means that almost a third of all inmates are drug abusers – a worrying indication of Malta’s criminalisation of addicts.