DRUG OFFENDERS OUTWARD BOUND

A private prison featuring Outward Bound-style programs for young drug
offenders will be built near Sale as part of a plan to reintegrate
offenders back into the community.

The government yesterday unveiled plans to build a 68-bed
lower-security jail near the Fulham Correctional Centre near Sale.

The jail - which may be operating by as early as the end of next year
- - will house men aged between 18 and 30 who have drug abuse problems.

It is not clear how much the new jail will cost to build and operate
but a spokesman for Corrections Minister Andre Haermeyer last night
said that the operators of Fulham, Australasian Correctional
Management, would run the new jail.

Inmates will spend four to six months there near the end of their
sentence participating in activities such as rock-climbing and abseiling.

Mr Haermeyer last night said that the program was designed so
offenders could develop self-confidence, self-reliance and leadership
skills, and learn to trust the people around them.

The program is initially designed for offenders near the end of a
sentence but may be expanded to include the entire sentence.

After they have completed the Outward Bound-style program, some of the
offenders will then transfer to community residential centres in
Melbourne to further help them ease back into society.

No funding was allocated to the proposed specialist drug court in
Dandenong. A spokeswoman for Health Minister John Thwaites said
Victoria was still negotiating with Canberra on funding the court and
other drug-diversion programs.

The new prison near Sale forms part of an additional 357 permanent
prison beds that the government says will be available progressively
from July next year.

Several private prisons, including the controversial Port Phillip
Prison, will receive extra beds as part of the $34-million program to
reduce overcrowding. An extra $21.5 million will be spent on temporary
beds.

Another 800 police will be on the beat, in line with the government's
election promise last year to lift police numbers. But some of that
increase will come from police transferring from non-operational jobs.

As previously flagged, the government also announced it would spend
$46 million upgrading, replacing or building police stations.

A new station will be built at Kinglake on Melbourne's north-eastern
fringe, while stations at Preston, Northcote, Seymour, Moe, Belgrave
and Bacchus Marsh will be replaced with 24-hour complexes.

Another 16 country stations will be replaced at Beeac, Beech
Forest/Lavers Hill, Beulah, Birchip, Broadford, Churchill, Dederang,
Forrest, Lancefield, Landsborough, Learmonth, Lexton, Meeniyan,
Newstead, Red Cliffs and Tatura.

The government has also set aside $2.5 million so police can handle
security problems during the Sydney Olympics and the World Economic
Forum in Melbourne in September.