the Island's prisons.

For it is not too late to help some inmates who desperately want to reform.

This was the warning from a recently released repeat offender who said he wanted to see Prison chiefs and Government Ministers held accountable.

"I'm tired of all the lies,'' said the 33-year-old father of two who asked to remain nameless. "I would like to see a shake up in the administration like they did in the Police Force.'' The man said that upon being released two and a half weeks ago, he had struggled to find work because of his record. He asked to remain anonymous so possible employers would not hold anything against him.

But the man -- who was released last month after serving two and a half years for breaking and entering -- said he did not want to forget the friends he left behind.

"All the stuff which has been said is true -- I know it happened cause I was there,'' he stressed. "Dyer and Soares -- all they do is deny, deny and deny.

The problem with the prisons is the people running them.'' The ex-inmate particularly directed his attack at the Prison Farm.

"The senior officers there are on a power trip,'' said the man. "There are officers who want to help inmates but they're afraid of their senior officers.'' When an inmate was transferred to the Prison Farm, it "was like they dropped a bomb on you -- it's a whole different jail'' where an inmate could make no further progress, he said.

"The Prison Farm is getting overcrowded and is becoming another Casemates.

There is nothing for the guys to do and they're getting idle.'' He said he had changed his life because he did not want his children to see him going in and out of prison.

But other inmates found it hard without help, which was unavailable, he said.

"They're good people but they just don't have a chance,'' he said. "I would like to see these people stop b**l c***ping and try to rehabilitate these guys.'' If an officer was found to have a drug or alcohol problem, they were helped through the proper programmes, continued the man.

But if an inmate was caught he got more time in prison and no help.

The man told of an instance where a group of Prison Farm inmates, who were being counselled at the nearby Co-ed Facility, were denied rehabilitation because of a soccer game. He said there was one truck and officers decided to take inmates to Wellington Oval to play soccer rather than take the other inmates to their Hazelden drug rehabilitation class at the Co-ed Facility.

"You can get whatever you want in prison -- cocaine, heroin, weed, drink -- whatever. They have coke parties in jail,'' he continued.

It was worse for younger offenders, added the man, many of whom entered prison never having tried drugs and left addicts.

He claimed 50 percent of drugs in the prisons got in through the officers while 40 percent got in with visitors and ten percent got in through inmates returning from work release programmes.

"There are inmates in there who were involved in the drug trade before going to jail and they are still turning a profit from selling drugs while they are locked up,'' he said.

"Some inmates do cedar work for officers and get paid cash by them which they then use to buy drugs.'' The ex-inmate said he approached Deputy Prison Commissioner Marvin Trott and told him the ins and outs of the prison drug trade.

The man said he told Mr. Trott who was doing what and named officers who were bringing illegal substances into prison.

He said Mr. Trott told him not to worry and the men would be dealt with but the ex-inmate said they were still in the service.

"I put my life on the line and told him who was bringing the drugs in, yet he did nothing about it.'' Yesterday Mr. Trott did not return messages left for him by The Royal Gazette .