A ‘halfway house’ will be opened while the existing services will be extended An agreement was signed between the Ministry for the Interior, Security, Reforms and Equality and the Foundation from Darkness to Light through which they will continue a number of services that the foundation already provides to prisoners and their families, as well as other new services will be created, including the establishment of a ‘halfway house’ in Birgu.
In this house the foundation will be welcoming a number of prisoners in the last part of their sentence, in order to carry out a rehabilitation and training program before returning to society. Through this agreement the Government will be investing more than €1.1 million so that the foundation can open this home, as well as continue to invest more in the rehabilitation of prisoners and help their families. The house is expected to open its doors and start operating from next November.
Apart from the opening of a new house, this agreement also saw the extension of two other services that the foundation already provides, which are; the ‘Locked Out’ Program, which helps the families of the prisoners, as well as the management of the family home in Marsa, where the prisoners can meet their children outside the prison building The agreement was signed in the presence of the Minister for the Interior, Security, Reforms and Equality Byron Camilleri, who claimed that this collaboration with the Foundation from Darkness to Light is a very important one and it is already bearing much fruit.
Therefore he stressed that the rehabilitation process is crucial so that not only the prisoners can get back on a good path, but above all it helps to reduce the rate of recidivism in our community. Minister Camilleri said that such initiatives also show the social spirit of the government, which helps to help those who are so vulnerable. “We are continuing to invest, hand in hand with the From Darkness to Light Foundation, in the rehabilitation of those who are serving a prison sentence, through three projects; two of them have already started functioning and the third one will see its fruits in the coming months. These projects are the ‘Locked Out’ project, the ‘Family Room’ project and now even a new house that will be welcoming prisoners in their rehabilitation phase. Committed to continue investing in rehabilitation so that these people will be better people once they return to our society,” concluded Minister Camilleri.
Chairperson of the Foundation from Darkness to Light George Busuttil explained how through this agreement the foundation’s work among prisoners was consolidated. “Through this agreement we will be able to continue with the projects we have which are therapy sessions for the families of prisoners who have some difficulties, we will also continue to better equip the place we have where prisoners come to meet the their children and we will finish and the residence in Birgu that we are calling Dar bla Hitan will start operating,” concluded Mr. Busuttil.
The Chief Executive of the Correctional Services Agency Chris Siegersma said that these programs and initiatives are based on helping the prisoners much more in their rehabilitative process and in the end so that there is a society that is much more tolerant. “Through this agreement, we as an intermediary agency see it as another opportunity for the people who are inside the prison to be able to take that step so that after taking our rehabilitation services inside the prison, they can they go back into the community more reformed,” said Mr. Siegersma.
The agreement was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for the Interior, Security, Reforms and Equality Emmanuel Psaila, the Chief Executive of the Correctional Services Agency Chris Siegeresma, the Chairperson of the Foundation from Darkness to Light George Busuttil and the Deputy Chairperson of the foundation Matthew Agius.
Photo: MHSR
