WA PRISONERS GET REWARD FOR REJECTING DRUGS

PERTH - Prisoners at a West Australian jail will be rewarded for rejecting
drugs under a government program announced today.

Wooroloo Prison inmates who sign an agreement to stay drug free, and then
keep their side of the bargain, will be allowed to live in a self-care unit
at the jail which has its own kitchen and dining area.

The state government initiative is aimed at tackling the problem of drugs
in jails, and to reduce the chances of prisoners re-offending when they are
released.

Attorney General Jim McGinty said a wing at Wooroloo Prison had been turned
into the drug-free unit and would be used as a reward for prisoners who
rejected drugs.

"Self-care units, where prisoners have a small measure of independence, are
the most prized achievement a prisoner can aspire to in the prison system,"
Mr McGinty said.

The prisoners who earn the privilege of living in the drug-free unit will
be able to wash their own clothes and cook their own meals.

Mr McGinty said prisoners living in the unit would be tested for drugs each
week - and returned to the main jail if they used drugs.

The initiative aims to make the community a safer place by getting
prisoners off drugs before they are released.

Mr McGinty said drugs remained a problem in WA jails despite the efforts of
police and justice officers.

Last year 51 bags of cannabis, 12 bags of white powder believed to be
narcotics, 22 syringes and 14 smoking implements were seized from visitors
at Wooroloo.

Seventy per cent of WA prisoners have a history of drug use.