DRUG TREATMENT CHIEF TO CLEAN UP PRISONS AFTER DAMNING REPORTS

A new drugs chief is to clean up Dublin's prisons after a series of damning
reports highlighting the chronic hard drugs problem and high rates of
infectious diseases in the capital's jails. The bulk of the country's
problem is concentrated in prisons in the Dublin region.

The appointment of the Co-ordinator of Prison Drug Treatment Services is
expected to be taken up early in the New Year.

A spokesman for the Prison Service said the position was initially
recommended in the First Report of the Steering Group on Prison Based Drug
Treatment Services in July 2000. "The report recommended the appointment of
a senior figure from the Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) for the
overall co-ordination of substance misuse services for all prisons in the
Dublin area," he said.

Following Government approval in October 2000 and consultations with the
relevant health authorities and the Department of Finance, the post was
advertised by the Eastern Regional Health Authority in April 2001. The
Prison Service spokesman said the co-ordinator would be responsible for
overseeing the implementation of the First Report, including:

* To co-ordinate and manage drug treatment services in the prisons located
in the ERHA area.

* To ensure a consistent approach across these prisons.

* To promote best-practice on care in respect of drug addicts entering and
leaving the prison system in the ERHA area.

The co-ordinator will liaise with the Central Treatment Methadone List and
monitor the uptake of the hepatitis B vaccinations in the Prison Service.

The person will also oversee the screening for blood-borne viruses in
prisons and ensure that infectious diseases regulations are complied with.

Last July, Justice Minister John O'Donoghue set a three-year deadline for
the development of drug-free units and detoxification and counselling
facilities. Earlier this month, a study found that the sharing of dirty
needles in prisons was causing a huge increase in potentially fatal
infections - particularly hepatitis - among drug users.