Health Minister holds judgement on prison situation pending inquiry outcome

Health Minister Chris Fearne will await the outcome of an inquiry into the treatment of inmates in prison before commenting on the situation at the Corradino Correctional Facility.

The inquiry was tasked, among other things, of looking into suicide prevention measures at the prison after a string of inmate suicides. The inquiry was announced by the Home Affairs Minister after a 30-year-old inmate who attempted suicide died 10 days later in hospital.

Asked by MaltaToday for his reaction to the situation in prison and its impact on mental health issues, Fearne said the government had back in March inaugurated a new medical centre within the prison which was filled with doctors and medical staff to take care of residents.

"I will await the results of the inquiry by Anton Grech, the Chairman of Mental Health Services, before I comment any further," Fearne said.

The CCF administration has been under pressure over the past few years due to the number of deaths among inmates and the iron fist adopted by prison director Alex Dalli, a retired military colonel.

Dalli has been in charge since 2018 and came under pressure for his disciplinarian methods, with the Opposition even calling for his removal.

Since June 2018, there have been 13 deaths in prison. Only five of the magisterial inquiries have been concluded, and of these five, four were deemed to be natural deaths from heart complications, and one was a suicide.

However, two deaths that happened within the space of a couple of months this summer resulted from attempted suicides.

READ MORE: Another suicide attempt in prison forces ministry to hold inquiry

In a fresh twist to the latest death, that of Colin Galea, former Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi has claimed that before entering prison the man had engaged in self-harm and yet was not considered a suicide threat.