TOP COP WANTS SPECIAL JAIL FOR ADDICTS

People convicted of committing crime to fuel a drug or alcohol
addiction should serve their time in an alternative jail, Calgary's
police chief said yesterday.

Speaking at the Calgary Police Commission meeting, Chief Rick Hanson
said he supports the idea of setting up an alternative jail as a way
of getting criminals proper treatment so they can kick their habits
and hopefully get back on the straight and narrow.

"What we're proposing is the creation of what we call a safe jail," he
said.

"What we're saying is take one jail and turn it into a secure
addictions facility or take an addictions facility and turn it into a
safe jail."

Far too often, said Hanson, parents find themselves helpless to get
their kids off drugs and alcohol once they're past the age of 18.

"I can see a time when they can stand in front of a court and say
look, my son my daughter has been stealing from me, they've been
writing bad cheques, they're involved in this crime and they need
help," he said.

"We can use the court system, through the community diversion court,
to impose a criminal sentence on them, but instead of sending them to
jail where they become further victimized, the opportunity is there to
send them to a quote 'safe jail' a secure addictions facility staffed
by professional where you can actually treat the addiction first and
then deal with the problem."