Parliamentary Ombudsman visits the Correctional Services Agency

Parliamentary Ombudsman visits the Correctional Services Agency

Published September 10, 2025

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, visited the Correctional Services Agency and its facilities in Paola, following an invitation from the Agency’s CEO, Mr Christopher Siegersma. The visit formed part of the Ombudsman’s follow-up on the recommendations made in his own-initiative investigation report, published on 31 January 2025.

During the visit, the Ombudsman was shown a number of ongoing improvements within the facility. These included upgrades to the Education Hub, the Female B Section, the kitchen, and the newly inaugurated Second Learning Hub. The new hub features modern classrooms and will offer educational and training opportunities for inmates in subjects such as English, Maltese, Mathematics, ICT, and digital skills.

Mr Siegersma also presented future projects and improvements planned for the facility, while acknowledging the challenges posed by high occupancy levels. He updated the Ombudsman on the gradual implementation of standard operating procedures, one of the key recommendations from the Ombudsman’s report, which are being rolled out across the Agency.

He explained that the Agency is embracing a person-centered approach, ensuring that all services and activities are designed around the needs, development, and well-being of the individual in prison. This approach places the person at the heart of every initiative, with the prison environment functioning as a hub of care, rehabilitation, and opportunity.

The Ombudsman thanked Mr Siegersma and the management team for the invitation and for their updates on the implementation of recommendations. He acknowledged the ongoing work to improve infrastructure and inmate conditions, and reiterated that inmates must be treated with dignity. He emphasised that meaningful reform requires not only infrastructural improvements but also a cultural shift in approaches to rehabilitation, which should be embedded throughout the system.

Mr Siegersma concluded by affirming the Agency’s commitment to continue improving facilities and fostering the cultural change necessary to support inmate rehabilitation.