Amnesty: 54 prisoners set to walk free - Opposition spokesman says amnesty is too broad

Opposition spokesman Jason Azzopardi this evening criticised the government over the amnesty given to prisoners and said its applicability was far too broad. He raised various questions after Home Affairs Minister Emanuel Mallia gave details of the amnesty in a statement to parliament. He said the amnesty is being given to prisoners to mark the change of government following the general election. The amnesty, of 100 days, will apply for sentenced prisoners, prisoners whose sentence is under appeal, and those awaiting judgement once a prison term is imposed. The amnesty of 100 days applies once only for prisoners who are serving more than one sentence. The amnesty does not apply to those convicted of crimes against children including child prostitution, paedophilia, abandonment of children under seven, cruelty, and human trafficking of children. Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi queried the justification of the amnesty, saying no amnesty had been given following recent general elections, but the government seemed to be pushing back the clock. Was the government conveying the right message to society, not least to the forces of law and order? Indeed, such an amnesty demotivated the...