Lack of care plans hinders inmates’ chance of parole

Not all the prisoners serving time at the Corradino Correctional Facility are being provided with customised care plans, negatively affecting their chances of being granted parole.
Both George Busuttil, director of Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl, an organisation that helps ex-inmates and their families, and prison chaplain Franco Fenech highlighted the pressing need for specialised sentence plans to be drafted for each and every inmate, identifying the person’s needs and risks.

Risk factors can be wide ranging and are usually linked to why the offence was committed, so factors such as substance misuse, relationships, accommodation, education and financial management often need to be addressed.
“There are not enough psychologists, social workers and care-plan coordinators to keep up with the number of prisoners,” Mr Busuttil said.
A spokeswoman for the Home Affairs Ministry said yesterday the recruitment process was still in progress for these posts.
Mr Busuttil said each tailor-made care plan had to be regularly followed up. The Parole Board would in turn need to examine the care plans and their progress in order to determine whether an inmate deserved parole.
“In my view, the Parole Board...