The legal implications of private prisons in Malta

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to counterbalance the present grim scenario of Malta’s only public prison by offering a proposal of a private prison operated by a private entity but within a regulated environment. The set up includes a regulator and a private facility. The interaction between regulator and the private entity is charted out together with the necessary changes in the law in order to have an adequate legal framework in place. The observance of fundamental human rights takes centre stage in this thesis. The pros and cons of private prisons are highlighted. The proposal for a new state-ofthe- art private facility for females is included in this work, presenting Malta as a beacon for modern incarceration techniques within the environment of a licensed private facility.