University Dean Urges Malta To Confine Solitary Confinement To The Annals Of History
Cover photo: Stock image of a solitary cpnfinement cell
University dean Andrew Azzopardi has urged Malta to put an end to solitary confinement as a punishment for prisoners, denouncing the practice as “barbaric”.
“In my opinion, this practice is nothing less than a manifestation of barbarism and violence which is not respectful of today’s progressive communities,” Azzopardi, Dean of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing, said in an open letter to Maltese MPs which he penned following consultation with academics and professionals.
Maltese law allows for the solitary confinement of prisoners for a maximum ten-day period every two months. However, should a prisoner commit another offence within those two months, he can wind up in solitary confinement for to 15 days.
In a recent Xarabank episode, the father of a prisoner warned that solitary confinement had seen his son locked away in a rat-infested cell for up to 23 hours a day and that he ended up contracting an infection.
However, Azzopardi cited research which flagged the detrimental psychological, neurological and social effects of solitary confinement on prisoners.
These include high anxiety levels, post-traumatic stress, irrational anger and irritability, heightened sensitivity to external stimuli, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, increased suicidality and paradoxical tendencies to further social withdrawal.
He warned that such health problems burden the national health system further as well as open society up to possible vengeful acts by prisoners.
“Whilst there is a need for measures that protect individuals and staff from harm, as well as for disciplining persons who disobey the rules when in institutions, the use of solitary confinement should NOT be considered as an option,” Azzopardi said. “This is because of the varied and severely detrimental psychological and neurological effects that have been documented in numerous empirical research studies and noted in this PR.”
“Furthermore, the use of solitary confinement may in fact worsen the behaviour of those who go through the experience, leading to aggressive outbursts and an inability to integrate back into the prison population or society.”
“I am recommending that immediate action is advocated so that Parliament discusses the revoking of such measures of punishment that are not commensurate with concepts around rehabilitation that CSA is trying to implement. Sentencing ‘Solitary Confinement’ should be immediately stopped and the practice rescinded.”
Do you think Malta should ban solitary confinement?
READ NEXT: Fiancé Thrown Into Solitary Confinement And Told He’ll Never Marry As Long As ‘Arrogant’ Kordin Director Is There, Partner Says
