Pubdate: Fri, 14 Apr 2000 Source: Australian, The (Australia) Copyright: News Limited 2000 Contact: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ Author: John Ellicott HEROIN TREATMENT TRIALS FOR INMATES Three heroin treatment drugs will be trialled in jails in Australia for the first time. Inmates who became drug-clean might also get special treatment in parole hearings, NSW Minister for Corrective Services Bob Debus announced yesterday. Three heroin treatment drugs - naltrexone, buprenorphine and LAAM - will be trialled from early next year at three NSW correctional centres. Mr Debus said the programs were an attempt to "stop the cycle of drug abuse and crime". He said nearly 70 per cent of prisoners in NSW were jailed because of drug-related crime and a solution was needed to break the cycle. The $23 million package over four years also will allow the pinpointing at police centres of prisoners with drug habits before they are sent to jail. Three existing drug-free wings will be expanded at jails in Parramatta in Sydney's western suburbs, Cessnock in the Hunter Valley and Emu Plains, west of Sydney, with prisoners signing contracts that they will remain drug-free during their time in the wing and submit to regular urine tests. A spokesperson for Corrective Services said drug-free wings would be an incentive for many prisoners to turn away from drugs. The prisoners would be away from the intimidation of other prisoners forcing drugs on them, or urging drug smuggling, the spokesperson said. The fact some inmates went through the intense drug-clean program would help them in future parole hearings. The first trial of the controversial drug naltrexone will be held at Parklea Correctional Centre with about 450 inmates expected to participate over two years. A long-lasting methadone treatment, known as LAAM, will be trialled at Lithgow Correctional Centre among about 50 inmates. Buprenorphine will be trialled for the first time in an Australian prison at Mullawa women's prison and at the male Silverwater remand centre. The drug, used successfully in France among 50,000 addicts, stops overdoses of people under treatment, but is still waiting approval for use at a federal level. Buprenorphine is taken in tablet rather than in the syrup form, as with methadone, and authorities believe it will stop opportunities for abuse. - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson