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Kurt Sansone
The women’s wing at the Corradino Correctional Facility is all abuzz with news of the relationship, between a female prison warden and a former female inmate that has left prison authorities in a quandary as to whether such a relationship warrants dismissal of the warden.
The female inmate was discharged from the Correctional Facility a couple of months ago but with prison regulations barring any contact between prison officials and inmates or former inmates, the relationship has created an embarrassing situation for the warden.
The prison official is the subject of snide remarks by female inmates and doubts have been cast on her ability to carry out her duties effectively, MaltaToday has learned.
Asked for his reaction to this situation the Director of the Corradino Correctional Facility, Sandro Gatt chose not to answer.
When MaltaToday pointed out that in a similar case involving a male prison officer and a male inmate the official is now awaiting dismissal, the Prisons Director opted for a one sentence reply: “One cannot compare the two cases, as they are separate and different.”
The Prison Act stipulates a number of conditions under which the Home Affairs Minister can remove prison officials from office. Two such conditions are: if the person “has ceased to be an efficient officer” and if it is considered to be in “the public interest” for the official to be removed given that the “circumstances of the case” and “having regard to the conditions of the Department of Correctional Services.”
Prison Regulations, on the other hand are more specific on contact between officials and inmates or former inmates. The Prison Director has the authority to “order any prison officer to refrain from communicating with any specified former prisoner or with any relative or friend of a prisoner or a former prisoner.”
A prison official is also deemed to have engaged in “improper conduct” if he or she “enters into unnecessary conversation with a prisoner or allows any undue familiarity to occur between him and any prisoner.”
It is also contrary to prison regulations for an official to “communicate with any ex-prisoner or with a friend or relative of any prisoner or ex-prisoner in violation of an order given by the Director.”
kurt@newsworksltd.com
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