HELPING INMATES KICK HABIT

Thirty-seven per cent of inmates in prisons across the country have
"severe" substance abuse problems, but Matsqui Institution is
piloting a program to help these users kick their habit.

Yesterday 10 inmates - the maximum for the program - began the
intensive five-month program, which is being piloted in six prisons
in the country. "We have always recognized a group that was high
risk, high need," said substance abuse program regional manager John
Eno.

"The higher the problem with substances, the higher the likelihood to
come back," he said, adding that severely addicted inmates recidivate
at higher rates than other inmates.

This pilot program, called the high intensity substance abuse program
(HISAP), received the go-ahead for planning two years ago, and now is
in its second pilot.

The first time around, it was "very successful in our eyes," said
co-facilitator Steven Lloyd. The population at Matsqui, he said, has
reacted to the program very positively, and many more inmates want to
take HISAP.

The model for the program places an importance on ongoing substance
abuse intervention, and the program is presented in three phases.

The first phase includes the intensive five -month, 100-session
program. That's followed by weekly maintenance sessions before
release, and then community programming and maintenance sessions
until the expiry of the inmate's term.

In the 100 sessions, inmates are oriented to the program, go through
sessions on why they should change, and then understanding their
behavior. That's followed by teaching behavioral coping, as well as
cognitive coping. "Something we saw as really important in this
program is to teach them better thinking," said Eno.

Also part of the program is sessions on relapse prevention and life planning.

Inmates in the program also live in the same area of the prison, to
support each other, said Lloyd.

After this pilot is complete, final changes to the program will be
made, and it is expected to become a nation-wide program by September
2002.

Substance abuse programming for "moderately addicted" inmates has
been offered for about a decade at Matsqui Institution.