Pubdate: Fri, 14 Dec 2001
Source: Irish Examiner (Ireland)
Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2001
Contact:  http://www.examiner.ie/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/144
Author: Cormac O'Keeffe

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.
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