Soft voiced yet outspoken, a firm disciplinarian who is dedicated to reforming inmates ? Hubert Dean might seem like a mass of contradictions but in many ways has been the model of effective prison management.

After the calamitous reign of John Prescod which saw the Prison Officers Association (POA) launch a four-day strike and eventually force his removal, Mr. Dean?s back-to-basics approach was just what was needed.

And the problems were very basic indeed when he took over in August 2005 ? perimeter fences which leaked drugs, maximum security units that were anything but and a shell-shocked, undervalued staff.

Luckily Mr. Dean?s reputation went before him having reached the post of assistant commissioner in his 28-year career, giving him a healthy rapport with staff.

?They know how I work, they know I am going to tell them the truth. The trust me, they know I have their best interests at heart.

?We were so busy fighting against each other we had lost our focus.

?Management were struggling against each other, the POA struggling against management.

?Of course the line officer was sitting observing it and lacking confidence. It was a real frustrating period.?

He refocused on personnel by giving much-needed guidance and direction to officers bewildered by the infighting.

?They were under extreme stress. We have increased the supervision in the units.?

One officer used to supervise 48 inmates ? now there are two.

Tightening perimeter security has made officers feel safer.

?It was a real problem. If you want a fellow to perform you have to make him feel safe.?

It?s a vital goal in an increasingly threatening environment.

?There?s a change in the attitude of the inmate. They are much more aggressive, willing to challenge you every step of the way.?

For officers to cope it requires training.

?In the old days an officer would retaliate instantly. Nowadays we have to think things through and calm the individual down and approach the whole thing differently.?

He is at a loss to explain why prisoners are more violent although Bermuda?s gang problem is rearing its ugly head inside Westgate and a lot of the violence goes unreported.

?We have liaised with Police so we can identify the signs of the gangs ? tattoos and whatever else they wear.?

During recreation the gang demarcation becomes evident as inmates split into groups.

?The mentality of the gang element is they think it is some sort of rite of passage to come to prison and come out a bigger man, not a better man.

?That seems to be the mentality that?s there.?

Keeping the inmates occupied helps avert trouble.

Last August he called for tougher measures against prisoners who spurned programmes after dubbing the Island?s main prison ?the Westgate Hotel?.

While no one can be forced to take part in programmes an incentive plan has helped get people on track.

?You are not going to come in and get the full benefits when you come in ? you have to work towards it.

?We pay all this money out to educate these inmates but it is pointless if the classrooms are empty.?

Newcomers start in the ?troublesome? E1 unit and only move to E2 with its extra visits and perks when they have showed willing.

The prisoners aren?t the only ones needing a re-education ? the whole staff has joined in.

?We did go back to basics. We had a very aggressive training programme. We got everybody back in the classroom.?

Mr. Dean credits UK consultant Bryan Payling for developing programmes. Staff have been to British prisons, including Prison Officers Association (POA) representatives. ?They came back full of energy.?

Next a UK expert will arrive to train the senior management team. ?We have made tremendous strides over the past two years.?

Mr. Dean is not one to bask in the spotlight and lauds the rest of the management team with helping in the transformation while relations with the Prison Officers Association, at an extremely low ebb under the controversial reign of John Prescod, have been restored.

?We are working together towards a common goal.?

Despite the feel-good factor recruitment is a headache with numbers 12 short of the required 249, despite not one but two recent recruiting drives.

?It?s becoming a problem. Everybody is trying to draw from the same small pool ? Police and Customs.?

?It?s a thankless job. It isn?t glamorous ? we are not out there apprehending people. But it?s necessary.

?We are responsible for the supervision of all of Bermuda?s ills ? and it?s a difficult job. Prison officers deserve every perk they can get.?

But done right, the job is its own reward as he recalls what it?s like to get a prisoner back on the right path.

He remembers a drug dealer on a long stretch who buckled down in prison to learn air conditioning. Training continued at Bermuda College where he made the Dean?s list, the sponsoring firm took him on.

?He graduated at the top of his class and now he is out enjoying his trade.?

That individual has been back inside since ? but only to give lectures on what can be achieved.

Despite his love of discipline, Mr. Dean is a reformer at heart and makes no secret of the fact that he joined the service more than 30 years ago to help people. It is an attitude he is encouraging in his staff.

?Staff now understand that there are two approaches but they can work together.

?If you want to maintain control you need some level of discipline but we are here to assist the inmates.

?We are not just warehousing people. We have an obligation to help this individual ? our mission is to empower inmates to be productive citizens.

?You know your bad lot but you can look at individuals and see potential and work with them.?

The approach seems to be working with prison numbers down to 310 after hitting 380 when he took over.

It?s a significant achievement in an Island which in 2005 had the second highest per capita prison population in the world.

Recidivism has been reduced by almost 20 percent says Mr. Dean who says civil prisoners should be removed from the figures for them to have meaning.

April figures show recidivism running at 54 percent across all prisons ? down from figures topping 80 percent in 2002.

Prisoner repatriation, on the statute books since 2002 but never really implemented until two years later, has seen prisoners going back to the UK, US and Netherlands during Mr. Dean?s time, easing the burden on the Bermudian taxpayer.

But despite the successes there is still plenty for Mr. Dean?s successor to do.

Westgate has yet to get a replacement for psychiatrist Dr. James Buccigrosswho left at the beginning of 2005.

Two candidates declined the job at the last minute since so the hunt goes on although there is someone in Westgate running a sex offender programme and Mr. Dean said the violent offenders programme was going well.

A team from the Canadian Correctional Service are due come to evaluate all the Westgate programmes.

Maintenance and plumbing problems are a major headache, particularly with inmates sabotaging it by flushing t-shirts down the pipes.

?This facility needs a full-time person here to make sure everything is working correctly.?

Despite the headaches he has much to be proud of.

?I think I am leaving the department in a better state than I found it and the people I am leaving behind are very capable of carrying it on.?

Asked about his thought on retiring for the second time around he says it?s time to get on with his own life plans which include golf, travel and renovating four condo units in his native Warwick for low-cost housing.

?It feels great this time around. This time I am going to retire.?