Changes at the top management level of Bermuda?s prison system has brought new hope for the rehabilitation of inmates with drug problems.

Seven inmates, out of a class of ten, graduated last week from the prison run Alternative Substance Abuse Programme ? a programme which has existed on a part-time basis for the past two and a half years under director Kuni Frith Black.

On Friday, Ms Frith Black said that she and her two assistants are now at the prison on a full-time basis.

The seven-month intensive programme starts off with the 12 step principles of Narcotics Anonymous before moving on to teach inmates about the basics of drug addiction ? addictive thinking and the addictive personality. It then delves into issues of co-dependency and in group and individual sessions inmates confront their life issues and their addictions.

Ms Frith Black said that since the management shake up which ousted former Commissioner John Prescod and his lieutenants from their positions, she now runs the programme on a full-time basis.

?There?s just been a change in energy ... We?re fortunate to have a Commissioner that understands and strongly supports rehabilitation,? she said.

?And his assistant commissioners are of the same mindset.?

Under the old regime Ms Frith Black?s hours at the prison were ?restricted? she said.

Now she plans to offer a relapse prevention component of her programme to support graduates until they are paroled.

ASAP was somewhat controversial in its early days because of its use of alternative therapies like auracular accupuncture and herbal detoxification to help addicts cope with withdrawal symptoms.

But such methods are now widely used in the United States, according to Ms Frith Black, and she says the programme has made an impact in Bermuda?s prisons too.

She said that generally the programme intakes about 12 inmates, but a handful always drop out, or are dismissed, for various reasons, and a total of about 60 inmates have graduated from the programme.

?There are some people who are out in the community and are still clean and sober, but the majority are still at Westgate,? she said.

Ralph Burrows, 34, who was sent to Westgate for aggravated robbery over a year ago and is up for parole in November, was one of ASAP?s most recent graduates.

?I was proud of myself ? that I finally let go,? Burrows told .

He said that he has lost count of the number of times he?s been imprisoned but intends for this spell to be his last.

?I?ve been in and out for the last 14 years and I?ve been in numerous programmes. This is the first that?s made a difference,? Burrows said.

?Most of the other programmes I?ve cheated my way through (by) just telling them what they want to hear and they let you go.?

He attributed the success of this programme to Ms Frith Black?s ability to get him to face the truth about his addiction (to alcohol, marijuana and cocaine) and his violent tendencies.

?I?ve always been a violent guy ... so most people won?t say nothing to me. That?s the way I?ve been all my life ? I can do what I want to do.?

He added that his involvement in a recent altercation in prison led him to new insights about his behaviour.

?I?m used to just sabotaging my own recovery. Every time things are going good, I?m not comfortable. I sabotage it. I need chaos in my life.?

Now that he?s off the drugs, he said, he has to work on lifestyle changes.

Burrows added that the programme had taught him that issues from his childhood had contributed to his violent behaviour.

?When I?m on drugs I become very dangerous to myself and other people,? he continued.

?This class and the violent offenders programme work hand in hand. I had to deal with myself so much and I didn?t like what I saw.

?I really had to deal with a lot of things and that?s taken work and I don?t like to put in a lot of work.?

Burrows had a number of different jobs before he went into prison and is one of a minority of inmates that actually has a high school diploma.

His college career was cut short after three weeks when he was caught with drugs in his room.

His most immediate challenge now is peer pressure ? asked how his fellow prison residents have viewed his efforts to get clean, Burrows said that he?s heard some negative comments and put downs.

?I would have gotten angry but I?m not here to please these guys. And I understand that because I used to be like that.

?Misery likes company. Those guys are probably not ready to make a change yet ? I have to make a change.?

And he is fully aware that he could be a role model when he finally comes out of prison.

?A lot of people outside do know me and they know the length I would go to get high,? he said.

?If they can see me doing it (staying clean and avoiding violence) then it?s possible for them too.?

Burrows plans to become a drug counsellor ? a decision supported by Ms Frith Black.

?I personally feel that it?s important for those who have been through the fire and have the desire to become counsellors,? she said. ?They should be given the opportunity because they can make a world of difference.?