WOMEN ADDICTS FACING JAIL

A drug addict was sent to prison yesterday because the Island's only drug
treatment facility for women has no counsellors.

Last night Health Minister Nelson Bascome said the National Drugs
Commission, which runs the Fair Havens Christian Care Association, was
trying to iron out the problem. He said that women were to receive
counselling at the Turning Point Centre at King Edward VII Memorial
Hospital as a temporary measure.

But he could not explain why Jacqueline Dillas - who appeared in
Magistrates' Court yesterday on charges of theft and breaking and entering
- - should have been jailed rather than receive treatment under the
Alternatives to Incarceration programme.

The court heard that when Fair Havens closed in December counsellors left
and have still to be replaced.

Yesterday Dillas was sent to jail for one year by Acting Magistrate
Carlisle Greaves, who said that she could be released earlier - but only if
Fair Havens can find counsellors.

Dillas was charged with stealing five Elephant beers from the Shopping
Centre worth $8.50, as well as breaking and entering into a home where she
stole $200, money she used for drugs and food.

She pleaded guilty to the charges, but before Mr. Greaves could sentence
her, the director of Fair Havens, Velma Woodley, stood to speak on her
behalf and requested Mr. Greaves order a Social Inquiry Report into the
matter before sentencing. Ms Woodley said Dillas had been in Fair Havens
for the last three weeks, and added that staff who knew her were concerned
about her behaviour, which she said had changed, becoming "odd" and
seemingly out of character.

She then explained the current troubled history of the organisation, saying
that because of a lack of counsellors, the facility was effectively closed.

"There are no counsellors there at the moment," she said.

She said, with the decision to keep Fair Havens open, Government was
attempting to make progress towards getting the programmes up and running.
There are six people under care there now, she said, and staff do group
things with them.

"So what's she (Dillas) doing at Fair Havens if nothing's happening?" asked
Mr. Greaves.

"If the place isn't functioning I'm not going to send you down there. I'm
not waiting for Fair Havens anymore."

For the charge of breaking and entering he sentenced Dillas to one year in
prison, and for the charge of stealing the Elephant beers a further six months.

"If I get a message in the next few weeks that Fair Havens is back up, I
will suspend the rest of your sentence and let you go up the road to Fair
Havens and finish the sentence up there," he told Dillas.

With no new admissions since July of 2002 and the departure of former
director Ann Vance, the Fair Havens' board made the decision to temporarily
close the home in December of 2002. However it was re-opened on New Year's
Eve, as three of the women housed there had nowhere to go.

Questions about the future of the facility remained. The National Drug
Commission now funds the treatment facility, which was previously funded by
the Council Partners Charitable Trust.

Last night Mr. Bascome said: "Right now Fair Havens are working with
National Drug Commission (NDC) on the plan to have them re-open."

The NDC is now funding Fair Havens. Fair Havens was a private entity funded
by the NDC, but through the Council Partners Charitable Trust.

"The NDC have done the same for Camp Spirit, which had threatened to close
down and the NDC are restoring it and currently have adequate counsellors.

"The NDC has not changed - we've stepped up the resurrection of their
programme - they were spilt in terms of their board. The NDC are going to
assist in keeping their doors open."