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JANUARY 2009

'Female B' Party: MDD organised a Christmas/New Year celebration for female prisoners held at the 'Female B' Section of the Corradino prison on the 3rd. The event was a wonderful and friendly occasion. An Elvis impersonator gave a show. As in former years, all female prisoners of both sections were given a small gift.

Monday, 5th - 'Female A' Party: A second Christmas/New Year celebration was organised by MDD for female prisoners held at the 'Female A' Section. This will be on the 5th, and all present - inmates, volunteers, and wardens - had a wonderful time together.

Juvenile Party: MDD organised a Christmas/New Year celebration for young offenders held at the Corradino prison on the 6th. Entertainer Joe Demicoli was present with DJ Lizio Camilleri. The boys enjoyed themselves and so did everybody involved.

Meetings at the prisons: Visits to the male sections of the Corradino Prisons by MDD's volunteers resumed on the 6th; and to the female sections on the 8th. Throughout the year, MDD's volunteers regularly visited the male inmates (includin the Juvenile section) every Tuesday between 4.30 pm and 7.00 pm; and the female sections every Thursday and Friday between 9.30 am and 11.00 am.

Administrative meetings: MDD's administrative meetings resumed on the 6th. Throughout the year such meetings were held every Tuesday at Dar it-Tama, Cospicua, between 7.30 pm and 9.30 pm. At the beginning of the year the following were the members of the Executive Committee.

MDD Calendar: Volunteers distributed a 2009 wall-calendar to all 449 prisoners held in Malta at the moment, and to all wardens and prison officials. This was on the 10th. The calendar is an MDD production, designed by George Busuttil, and sponsored by the prison administration.

PR child incarceration: MDD issued a press release on the 14th lamenting the incarceration of a 14-year old by the courts. MDD again stressed the point that prison is no place for children and that government should provide the necessary structures to deal with such cases. The release attracted good press coverage.

TV programme: MDD's Director, Dr Mark Montebello, took part in a televised programme concerning the fears of prisoners' children. The programme, an edition of Str82dpoint, presented by Roberto Francalanza, was on the 15th.

Radio programme: Matthew Agius, MDD's responsible for work with ex-prisoners, and Marilyn Clark, one of MDD's trustees, took part in a live programme on Radio Malta. This was on the 17th. The programme, produced and presented by Dr Andrew Azzopardi, dealt with prison matters. An ex-prisoner was also present to give his experience of resettlement.

Meeting the UN: MDD's designate-director, Dr Charles Cassar, and general secretary, George Busuttil, met a UN working group on Arbitrary Detention headed by Ms Manuela Carmena Castrillo. This was at Sliema on the 20th.

FEBRUARY 2009

MDD course: On the 12th MDD's annual course on penal justice was postponed to October due to lack of sufficient applicants.

MDD Centre: The assessment report for the necessary permit to establish MDD's new operational centre at Cospicua was completed by the Malta Environment & Planning Authority (MEPA) on the 16th. The team manager recommended approval. The assessment report will be referred for sanitary endorsement and a decision by MEPA/DCC Board.

Student talk: MDD's Director, Dr Mark Montebello, delivered a talk at the Curmi Higher Secondary school at Naxxar on the human rights of prisoners, their families and ex-prisoners. This was on the 18th.

Parole White Paper: Government finally issued a much-awaited White Paper announcing, amongst other matters, the introduction of the parole system to Malta. This was on the 20th.

Talk: Matthew Agius, MDD's responsible for work with ex-prisoners, addressed young people at the Youth Centre of Tarxien. An ex-prisoner was also present and addressed the gathering. This was on the 27th.

MARCH 2009

University Inclusive lecture: Dr Mark Montebello delivered a lecture on inclusive communities, prisoners and ex-prisoners on the 3rd. This will be at the University of Malta. The lecture was attended by psychology students.

L-ARKA: MDD's bi-lingual quarterly leaflet, L-ARKA (The Ark), was issued on the 3rd. As always, it was distributed to all prisoners free of charge. The main topic of this issue was government's recent White Paper and the introduction of the parole system to Malta.

Talk: On the 6th Matthew Agius, MDD's responsible for work with ex-prisoners, gave another talk to young people. This was at Birzebbugia. An ex-prisoner was also present and addressed the gathering.

Change of Director: Ending his three-month probation period, Psychotherapist Charles Cassar was appointed MDD's Director as from the 10th. He substituted Dr Mark Montebello, who had been General Director since 2002. This is the list of MDD's Directors along the years:

Chief Justice visit: On the 14th the Chief Justice, Dr Vincent De Gaetano, visited MDD's centre at Cospicua and met the foundation's Executive Committee. The meeting was held on the initiative of the Chief Justice himself. In a most cordial atmosphere, the two sides discussed matters pertaining to criminal justice procedure.

Statistics: MDD released its 2008 statistical data to the press. This was on the 20th. A press conference was called at Valletta in front of the Ministry of Justice & Home Affairs. Good press coverage was given.

Talks: Various members of MDD's Exectutive took part in a series of talks at the Corinthia Hotel, Floriana. These were organised by Era Gdida, a socio-religious group. MDD's volunteers highlighting issues related to prisoners, their families and ex-prisoners. The talks were held between the 25th and the 27th.

APRIL 2009

PB visit: Members of the Prison Board of Visitors visited MDD's centre at Cospicua. This was on the 17th. The PB met members of MDD's Executive Committee. The two sides discussed ways of mutual collaboration.

Parole Conference: A public conference was held on the 30th to discuss government's proposed White Paper on improvements to the criminal justice system and, in particular, the introduction of the parole system to Malta. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, Dr Carm Mifsud Bonnici. Attendance by the public was satisfactory and encouraging. The meeting, which was held at Attard & Co. Ltd., Marsa, was also addressed by Mr Charles Miceli, Director of St Anne Rehab Centre at Bahar ic-Caghaq, and Dr José Herrera MP.

MAY 2009

Picnic: Members of MDD's Executive gathered for a day out at Armier and organised a picnic. It was a day of rest for all those involved, and also a moment of special closeness amidst wonderful surroundings. This was on the 1st.

Meeting LP MEPs: Representatives of MDD met some Labour Party contestants for the upcoming elections of the European Parliament. This was on the 14th at St James Cavalier, Valletta. The representatives expressed their views concerning some issues relating to justice and the European Union's role.

TV programme: MDD's PRO, Dr Mark Montebello, was one of the guests on a talk show about the administration of justice in Malta. This was on 18th on Favorite Channel. Various repetitions of the programme were aired in the following days.

Parole meeting: MDD representatives met the the commission responsible for the consultation process for the introduction of the parole system to Malta. This was on the 22nd at Fort St Elmo, Valletta. The representatives gave their views on various aspects of government's proposals.

Constitutional case: On the 22nd, MDD member Dr Marco Farrugia met up with Dr Tonio Cachia LL.D. to lodge a case with the Constitutional Court. The case will deal with prisoners' right to vote, and their right to receive pensions paid for with their contributory tax.

Parole for foreigners: On the 26th, MDD assisted foreign prisoners to draw up a letter addressed to government's consultatitve commission for the introduction of parole to Malta. The letter highlights issues related to accessibility of the parole system to foreign prisoners held in Malta. The letter will be signed by all foreign prisoners and sent to the consultative commission.

Parole lifers meeting: MDD brought together the families of the prisoners that have a life sentence. This was on the 28th at MDD's centre in Cospicua. The meeting dealt with government's proposals for parole in relation to lifers.

JUNE 2009

Special case: MDD began working on a special case involing an imprisoned illegal unaccompanied 14-year old immigrant. The case is being worked out in unison with Appogg Agency and AWAS Agency, and also (unofficially) with the Chief Justice.

Meeting with President: MDD representatives met the President of Malta at the Presidential Palace, Valletta. This was a courtesy visit and held on the 3rd.

MDD future: A summit meeting was held on the 4th in Cospicua to discuss the future of MDD and other institutions that are part of the umbrella organisation Daritama. The main item on the agenda was financial matters.

Juvenile study meeting: Representatives of MDD attended a meeting concerning a study conducted with juvenile prisoners in Malta. This was on the 5th at the Western Dragonara, St Julians. The study was part of a European project called Phoenix.

Parole proposals: MDD issued its official Position Paper on government's white paper proposals for the introduction of the parole system to Malta. This was on the 16th. The report was sent to the press and posted on this website for public viewing.

Parole meeting: MDD representatives privately met the consultative commission for the introduction of parole to Malta. This was on the 22nd at the House of Catalunya, Valletta. The issues discussed were drawn from the Position Paper issued earlier by MDD.

Parole meeting: MDD met the Commission in charge of the consultation process for the introduction of parole in Malta. This was on the 23rd. On this occasion MDD officially presented its proposals and comments concerning government's White Paper.

MDD Center: Contracting began on the 30th for the renovation of MDD's new Center at Cospicua. Architect Mario Axisa was the first to move in on the works in progress.

JULY 2009

MDD Center: Renovation works at MDD's new Center at Cospicua were begun on the 6th. Debris clearing was first on the list and is expected to take three weeks.

Finance Minister: A meeting with the Minister of Finance, Dr Tonio Fenech, was held on the 23rd at Valletta. MDD put forward some operational proposals that were accepted by the Minister.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Last update: July 23, 2009

Unscheduled - Education Association: Members of the Education Association will be meeting the MDD's executive committee. This will be at MDD's Cospicua centre.

Unscheduled - Bishop visit: The Bishop of Gozo, H.E. Mons. Mario Grech, will be meeting the Executive Committee at MDD's Cospicua centre. This will be a private visit.

Unscheduled - Ms Gonzi visit: The wife of the Hon. Prime Minister, Ms Catherine Gonzi, will be visiting MDD at its Cospicua Center. The meeting is expected to be one of exploration and sharing.

Unsheduled - MDD Publication: A new publication by MDD will be issued soon. This will be the fifth in a series begun in 2000. The publication will be in Maltese. It will be titled The Prison Renewal, and is written by MDD's PRO, Dr Mark Montebello.

Unsheduled - Secretary: A public call for applications will be made for the appointment of a secretary to work on a part-time basis with the foundation.

AUGUST 2009

SEPTEMBER 2009

OCTOBER 2009

NOVEMBER 2009

DECEMBER 2009