PRISONS GIVEN 3 YEARS TO CLEAR DRUGS

PRISON authorities have been given three years to eliminate drugs from
prisons and places of detention.

Justice Minister John O'Donoghue set the deadline yesterday following the
publication of a report by the Health Research Board which found three out
of five drug-users continued to use drugs in prison, with 38% using heroin
as their drug of choice.

Minister O'Donoghue said he has directed the Prisons Service to accelerate
the development of drug-free regimes, wings and facilities, as well as
building up detoxification and counselling services for drug-dependant
prisoners.

"I am giving the service a realistic three year time frame, starting now,
in which to complete this approach across the entire prison system," he said.

Minister O'Donoghue said the survey of 29 prisoners conducted two years ago
was a snapshot of the situation in Mountjoy Prison at the time.

"This report reinforces the view of prison service managers, that the
number of individuals who commence drug use for the first time in prison is
very small," he said.

The report by Lucy Dillon of the Health Research Board, found:

"There were 21 men and eight women in the sample. Participants ranged in
age from 19 to 43. Respondents reported a low level of educational achievement.

"Furthermore, their employment histories were generally characterised by
long periods of unemployment."

Twenty one of those surveyed had served at least two terms in prison.

"Other than in the designated drug-free wing of the training unit,
respondents perceived Mountjoy Prison to be characterised by a drugs
culture, manifest in the attitudes and behaviour of prisoners.

"Irrespective of the drug-using history of prisoners, or their current
drug-using status, there was an overall consensus that drug use was an
issue they faced on a daily basis," the report found.

"Respondents reported, at the time of this study, drugs were not sold for
cash in the prison. Respondents reported drugs were generally distributed
in the prison through a reciprocal network system, established between
prisoners who had access to drugs from the community.

"When an inmate received drugs from the community, he/ she would distribute
them to others in a particular group. When others in this group received
drugs from the community, they would distribute them to the same group
members."

Minister O'Donoghue also disclosed that there are 265 prisoners in receipt
of methadone maintenance, a rise of 44% in one year.