VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta is in discussions with other governments to allow foreign prisoners to serve their sentences in their home countries, Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield said.
Speaking during a radio interview, Bedingfield said the initiative forms part of efforts to manage Malta’s prison population and address pressure on the country’s correctional system.
He said foreign convicted criminals could also be deported after completing their sentences in Malta.
“Those who break the law don’t belong here,” Bedingfield said, while explaining that talks were under way with other states on the possible transfer of prisoners.
The latest published Council of Europe prison statistics recorded 348 foreign inmates in Malta, out of a total prison population of 671.
Malta’s prison population has continued to place pressure on Corradino Correctional Facility. In August, the government said an average of five people were leaving the prison each day while 10 new inmates were entering.
A new facility at Ħal Far has also been equipped to accommodate foreign nationals nearing the end of their sentences, who are due to be deported after completing their terms.
Bedingfield also said the government was looking to expand the use of electronic tagging for offenders. He said greater use of electronic monitoring could give courts more flexibility when imposing sentences.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
