Academic Andrew Azzopardi calls for changes in how children visit family in prison

Academic Andrew Azzopardi has lamented the fact that children visiting family members in prison are not doing so in the correct environment.

In an email sent to the Commissioner for Children,  Prof.Azzopardi described what he had seen during a visit to the Cordin Correctional Facility (CCF) in August. 

“I saw that there were three children between the ages of two and seven years old,” he said, noting that this wasn’t an isolated case. Azzopardi claimed that he had even seen toddlers and babies in the main prison building. 

Azzopardi said that childrens’ presence in the main prison building is detrimental for their mental health. He added that in 2022, government had announced a new family room. At the time, it was announced that the room will be completely separate from the CCF to provide a more ideal space for children and their parents.

The academic came forward with 15 recommendations to address the issue, which includes using the family room in all visits where minors are present, and making sure that they never visit relatives in the main prison building. 

Azzopardi said that this should not be made into an excuse to reduce family visits, as he called for inmates to be accompanied to these visits by plainclothes police officers and social workers. 

Among other recommendations, Azzopardi called for non-invasive searches on children.

He further called for the Commissioner for Children to have access to the CCF at all times, and for her to nominate her representatives on every board within the prison.

In a published reply, the Office of the Commissioner for Children thanked Azzopardi for bringing his concerns to the attention of the office. “As Commissioner, I have already made a request for information regarding these concerns so as to be able to make the necessary recommendations for the full implementation of children’s rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,” said Antoinette Vassallo.