Salvation Army today to discuss setting up Bermuda's first halfway house for ex-prisoners.

While the talks are still in their preliminary stages, the Minister said it is simply a matter of time before such a facility opens.

"We've agreed with the principle of a halfway house,'' he said. "Now we have to look at such matters as physical layout, finances and so forth.'' Though Mr. Edness was committed to the concept of the facility, he stressed a lot of details still had to be considered.

Captain Max Barritt of the Salvation Army, however, told The Royal Gazette that a halfway house for former offenders is urgently needed.

"We feel that something needs to be done for these folks,'' he said.

"When we deal with them at our shelter, they are stigmatised and that hurts us.'' In today's meeting, "we're saying we've waited long enough. We have to push this thing.'' Also involved in the ongoing discussions over the facility are Prison Fellowship Services and the Commission of Prisons. According to Mr. Edness, "both the Salvation Army and the Prison Fellowship are putting forth proposals. We asked them too. That was one of the recommendations of the (1992) Tumim Report (On The Criminal Justice System In Bermuda).'' But though both are ostensibly working in conjunction, the Rev. Glenn Caines of Prison Fellowship Services said yesterday that he didn't know about today's meeting until he heard about it from media reports. Nonetheless, he said he would be contacting Capt. Barritt and anticipated attending.

One of the issues Rev. Caines said was certain to be discussed during the meeting was the potentially contentious matter of the halfway house's location.

According to him, the Annex in Southampton is a leading contender, although the acquisition of any land on the former US base would depend on intergovernmental negotiations.

"The US government and the Bermudian government are in those (reappropriation) talks and they are the ones that must decide it,'' he said.

"I know for sure that the Annex is a consideration and that will be discussed tomorrow.