A special drug treatment facility will be created within the Westgate facility if the National Drug Control Department gets its way.

Director of the National Drug Control Department (NDCD) Caron Assan said it was one of the top priorities this year along with expanding rehabilitation facilities on the Island and focusing on prevention. The NDCD priorities have been outlined in a newly released Master Plan.

The plan covers the extent of Bermuda's "deeply ingrained" drug problem. Mrs. Assan said: "The current system is not working. We need a separate space, within the prison, where addicted prisoners can get the help they need. We need them to be kept apart from the general prison population and go through a rehabilitation programme.

"We are looking for it to be a mandated treatment programme. We would need to create the infrastructure for it and we are hoping that it will be ordered by the court and that once prisoners are released they would be moved to transitional living centres to ensure that they continue to get the help they need."

A study done in 2006 showed that two-thirds of people being admitted to prison tested positive for drugs — 57 percent of prisoners tested positive for marijuana, 57 percent for cocaine and 30 percent for an opiate, most likely heroin.

Of the prisoners tested 37 percent tested positive for using more than one drug, an increase of 15 percent compared to 2005, and 62 percent could be classed as moderate to severe drug addicts.

Moreover, Mrs. Assan said that Bermuda's rate of recidivism has a lot to do with not addressing the drug problem. The current rate of repeat prisoners is approximately 80 percent. –"We have the same people coming in and out of the prison system," she said. "And the Police are saying it's the same people committing most of the crimes. If we could treat them for their drug problem that would help society in a big way.

"Drugs are causing serious social ills on this Island and we need to address them in cross-ministry initiatives."

Mrs. Assan has said a meeting with prison officials had already been set up and she was hopeful that the treatment programme could be in place in the near future. Another priority of the NDCD is to increase the number of beds in treatment facilities.

A new facility — Captain's in Charge — is being built and will house 24 men and 16 women. The facility would also have 10 transitional living spots for women to reintroduce them to society after treatment. She expects it will be completed in June 2009.

The five-year NDCD Master Plan stated: ""Treatment is inadequately funded. Overall we are doing a good job with the funding that is available but it is not adequate for the numbers needing treatment and for proper length of stay to get the job done. Increasing the money available for substance abuse treatment will reduce crime and make Bermuda safer."