The Prison Board of Visitors is instituted by force of the Prison Act of 1976. The duties of its members, apart from those recognized by the Prison Act itself (Art. 6), are more specifically established by the Prison Regulations of 1995 (Art. 103). The Board, which is appointed annually by the President of Malta on recommendations made by the Minister of the Home Affairs, is basically a watch-dog of the system.

MDD's appointment to the Board of Visitors was as follows:

Though chosen for their participation in MDD, these members did not represent the organisation on the Board, but themselves. The appointment is always made on a personal basis.

Membership in the Board of Visitors is important since, first and foremost, it gives full freedom of movement within all the correctional facilities of Malta. Secondly, it is important for the unlimited excess it gives to all prison files. Thirdly, it gives access to committees, commissions and other bodies available only to a few. This obviously allows the possibility of taking part in processes of decision-making, some of which affecting the prisoners very closely. Finally, membership in the board keeps one constantly in perfect touch with all that would be happening within the correctional facilities.

On the other hand, however, membership in an institution that is part of the system imposes limits on one's participation in such a pressure group as MDD.

From our experience, being part of the system through membership in the Board of Visitors does not diminish the prisoners' confidence in persons who are equally members of a group such as MDD, that is outside the system. On the contrary, it increases the prisoners' expectations from them.