S.L. 260.3 Art. 26Refusal of food.

(1) On every occasion on which a prisoner refuses his food the occurrence shall be recorded in writing by a prison officer in a special register to be kept for the purpose and the prisoner shall be asked to countersign each entry of any such occurrence. During any period of refusal of food by any prisoner the book shall be inspected and signed daily by the Director and the Medical Officer.

(2) If the refusal of food lasts for more than twenty-four hours, the Director and the Medical Officer shall seek to persuade the prisoner, without the use of force or other means of constraint, to resume eating, and if he persists in such refusal for a further period of more than forty-eight hours, they shall inform a member of his family or a relative, if known, and in the case of any foreign national who is not known to have any relative in Malta, the diplomatic or consular representative of his country, if any, in Malta.

(3) In the carrying out of the duties under the last preceding sub-regulation, the Director and the Medical Officer shall, if the refusal of food persists beyond forty-eight hours, also seek the assistance of a competent professional or any other official who attends to welfare duties at the prison.