Bermuda's Under-23 players were detained.

The Dade County jail was branded "hell'' by an inmate who walked free yesterday.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mr. Jim Pearce told how 63 inmates were crammed into a 24-man cell.

He said people were forced to lie on concrete floors as no bunks were available.

And he claimed personal hygiene fell by the wayside because cells only had one shower.

There was also the constant fear of violence, he stressed, pointing out he had been struck by an inmate.

"It was hell, sheer hell,'' said Mr. Pearce, who faces drug charges.

Lawyer for the Under-23 players, Mr. H.T. Smith, supported Mr. Pearce's account of living conditions at the pre-trial detention centre.

Up to 65 people were packed into a cell, he said. And the six Bermudians -- Donnie Charles, Herbie Dillas, Shawn Riley, Kevin Jennings, Keishon Smith and Meshach Wade -- were particularly vulnerable because they were foreigners.

"They were easy prey for criminals while in jail and that is why I requested they all be kept together,'' said Mr. Smith.

"In fact the night before they were released a young man was beaten almost to death.'' Mr. Smith added players also had immense difficulties just getting a wash. The tales of life at the centre contrast starkly with the account given earlier this month by one of the jail's officers.

The officer had given the impression of a comfortable environment. He had not hinted at severe over-crowding.

Asked to explain the differing accounts, Mr. Smith replied: "Well, the officer works at the jail, doesn't he?'' Yesterday The Royal Gazette was unable to get permission to tour the jail.

From the outside, the 10-floor building is hard to distinguish from any of the other grey tower blocks in downtown Miami.

Linked by a walkway to the Dade County courts, it certainly does not look like a jail.

Only when you enter the lobby area does it take on the appearance of a jail.

Visitors are hit by signs warning them against contraband into the cells.

In order to see an inmate they have to phone their request to two women sitting behind thick-plated glass windows.

There is a strong smell of disinfectant everywhere. Mr. Pearce, a self-confessed recovering crack addict who is studying social work at a Miami College, was detained at the centre for two weeks over Christmas. He told of the problems he faced just getting a night's rest at the centre. "Because there was over-crowding, towels had to be torn into quarters just so everyone got something to dry themselves with.

"There were also lights on 24 hours a day, making it difficult to sleep. The television was on all the time as well.

"There was never a set time for going to bed. Those who wanted to sleep were constantly disturbed.'' Mr. Pearce said conditions got so unbearable he pretended to be suicidal so he could get moved to a different cell.

The ruse worked, but the new cell was just as bad. Mr. Pearce, who hails from Chicago and came to Miami as a construction worker to help out after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Andrew, was more complimentary about the food.

"It was passable. We would get things like chicken stew, cereal and salad. It was enough to live on.''