prison'', a member of the Treatment Offenders Board claimed this week.

Mr. Jack Harris, who is also chairman of Prison Fellowship Bermuda, told Hamilton Rotarians it cost about $35,000 a year to keep one prisoner incarcerated.

And, he said, one out of every 180 people in Bermuda is imprisoned.

This, he said, compared to one out of every 440 people in the UK and one out of every 320 people in the US.

Speaking at Rotarians' weekly luncheon at the Princess Hotel on Tuesday, Mr.

Harris warned: "If this were to continue, it would bankrupt Bermuda by the year 2000.'' He called on Rotarians and the rest of the community to change any prejudiced attitudes they may have about prisoners and to change their way of thinking about how the Island's crime and drug problems should be handled.

"Most men do not leave Casemates with their heels kicking in the air,'' said Mr. Harris, who has taught in the prison for six years.

Prison Fellowship Bermuda, which started about seven years ago "when Bermuda's prison problem was on the back burner'', has now established a number of projects to help prisoners make the transition back into the mainstream.

These include Angel Tree which provides Christmas gifts for ex-inmates and prisoners' children; Shop-Till-You-Drop which provides clothing for ex-inmates and the homeless: and a back-to-school programme to provide school clothing and other necessities for inmates' children.

Prison Fellowship is also hosting a regional conference in Bermuda from December 8 to 12 to compare the two latest judicial reports completed -- the Tumim Report and the North Carolina Senate Report.

Attorney General Mr. Walter Maddocks, Prisons Commissioner Mr. Edward Dyer, attorney generals and commissioners from the US, Canada, and the Caribbean and representatives from Justice Ministers International and Prison Fellowship International will participate.

Mr. Harris appealed to Rotarians to support Prison Fellowship financially and in its recommendations submitted to Government.

Those recommendations include: Setting up a halfway house for prisoners to improve their skills and education. It is suggested that prisoners can earn a reduction in sentences by attending; Establishing community courts where lay people can set out and monitor community service sentences; Setting up a rehabilitation task force, of people who are involved in the judiciary, to handle problems that arise in the system; and An office to deal with prisoners' and their families' social problems.

Mr. Gladwyn Woods, a former inmate who credits Prison Fellowship and God for changing his life, also urged Rotarians to support the group's efforts.

"Three decades ago, when I first went to prison, it was said I was unsalvageable,'' the 45-year-old Willowbank employee said. "But I can thank God that through Prison Fellowship, I'm here today.'' Mr. Woods, who noted that Mr. Harris gave him his first job six years ago which he still holds today, said "most inmates come out of prison with no sense of direction'' and they therefore turn to "a lot of negative things''.

But he said through the help of Prison Fellowship workers, including Mr.

Harris and coordinator Mr. Glenn Caines, he was able to restructure his life for the better.

The member of the National Drug Strategy's internal steering committee said: "I now feel at home and hope to continue assisting with the problems we have in our community''.