INMATES GRADUATE FROM METH PROGRAM

ROCKVILLE, Ind. -- Forty-eight female inmates fighting an addiction
to methamphetamine graduated from the Clean Lifestyle is Freedom
Forever program today at the Rockville Correctional Facility in
western Indiana. It is the first program in the country
to provide a prison-based treatment for female offenders with a meth
problem. The program is designed to treat the addiction as well as
help inmates make the transition back into society."I think I see ...
women with purpose in their souls. Now you just have to see it
through," Gov. Mitch Daniels told the graduating inmates. "When you
do, it will be a big victory for you, for your families and for the
state of Indiana."

Meth addiction is so powerful, experts say, that without treatment in
prison, most addicts will return to abusing the drug once they get out.

Last fall, 23 male prisoners graduated from a similar program at the
Miami Correctional Facility near Peru, Ind. Of those 23 men, 11 have
been released through probation or parole and none have returned to
the custody of the Department of Corrections, indicating the
program's early success rate, according to state prison officials.
The remaining men are still in custody completing their prison terms.

CLIFF is designed to run 15 hours a day, seven days a week. It is
overseen by a mix of staff and outside drug experts. By completing
the nine-to-12 month voluntary treatment program, inmates are
eligible to shave up to six months off their sentence.

According to experts, there are no pharmacological treatments for
meth dependence. Antidepressant medications can be used to fight
depression, which often accompanies withdrawal, but the most
effective treatment is cognitive behavioral interventions, which
modify a patient's thinking, expectancies and behavior while
increasing skills to deal with life stress.