Foreigners in Maltese prisons : a late occurrence? 60 years of analysis and an earlier episode

Abstract

The incidence of migrants in Maltese prisons is virtually unknown with studies focusing on the generic ‘foreigner’ component, irrespective of the purpose of entry to Malta (Scicluna, 2004; Formosa, 2007). This paper investigates sentenced offenders in Malta’s prisons and develops a classification system which distinguishes between short-term visitors, long-term residents and migrants who became Maltese citizens. The paper initially takes a comparative approach through a qualitative assessment of offender case studies taken from 1850 till 1950, followed by a quantitative approach analysing the relative crime component. The study attempts to understand migrant offender issues through the social and spatial parameters that encompass the background of such ‘foreigners’. A 60 year (1950 – 2009) analysis was carried out with a further specific focus on the 1990s which show a high rate of incarceration for foreigners in Maltese prisons as compared to other EU countries, a very evident sea-change in source country, an exponential increase in non-Maltese incarcerations and an evolving offence structure.