Pubdate: Sun, 05 Aug 2007
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2007 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: Paul Turenne
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)

TORY TOUTS JAIL PROGRAM

Sees Success In U.S. Treatment Of Drug Addicts

Manitoba's justice critic thinks a groundbreaking new approach to 
incarceration might help reduce crime in the province.

Kelvin Goertzen, the Tory justice critic, visited the Sheridan 
Correctional Center in Illinois in late July, and thinks the 
philosophy being used at the drug treatment prison might help crime rates here.

"One of the main root causes of crime here in Manitoba is drug 
addiction," said Goertzen. "Everyone in Sheridan was a drug addict. 
Either they did a crime on drugs or to get money for drugs.

"Prisoners there spend half their day in intensive drug rehab 
sessions. It's a therapeutic community where everybody is dealing 
with the same thing. They become their own support group."

HIGH RECIDIVISM

Deanne Benos, assistant director with the Illinois Department of 
Corrections, said Sheridan was developed in 2003 to reduce high 
recidivism rates in the state.

Inmates volunteer to join the program, which features intensive 
addictions treatment, job training courtesy of trade unions, and 
post-release support to help with re-integration to the community.

"Every single day that an inmate spends at Sheridan is spent 
preparing them to return home as a crime-free, drug-free citizen with 
an honest job," said Benos. "Programs like this aren't necessarily 
soft on crime, they're smart on crime.

"We've had some early but promising success. We're finding the rate 
of re-incarceration is 30% to 40% lower for Sheridan participants."

Goertzen said he's interested in bringing those kinds of results to Manitoba.

A spokesman for Justice Minister Dave Chomiak said the province will 
certainly take a look at whatever information Goertzen provides, but 
noted there may be some problems importing the model to Canada.

Illinois, for example, has about 44,000 inmates in its state system. 
Manitoba has about 500 in its provincial system.

Manitoba also has the Winnipeg Drug Treatment Court, a 
federal/provincial partnership that started in January 2006 for 
essentially the same purpose as Sheridan.

As one of six across the country, the court is designed as an 
alternative to custody for drug addicts who express a genuine desire 
to change. Participants are given strict conditions and are subject 
to intensive supervision after pleading guilty. If they complete the 
program successfully, they don't have to serve jail time.

Although provincial prisons here don't offer drug programming as 
intensive as at Sheridan, addictions programming is a core element of 
rehabilitation plans at provincial facilities.

Volunteers also bring Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous 
programs into jail.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom