Former Supreme Court clerk Shawn Crockwell has put his time behind bars to good use -- becoming a playwright.

Crowckwell -- jailed for stealing drugs worth more than $700,000 -- has written a play on drug and alcohol abuse.

And now the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA) is hoping the work will educate the community about substance abuse.

CADA deputy director John Tartaglia said the drama production, entitled "The Judgment,'' would be performed tomorrow at 7.30 p.m. by inmates at Westgate Correctional Facility.

"The partnership with Westgate and presentation of the play is CADA's first effort, using drama as a teaching tool, to reach Bermuda's young people and increase their understanding of the choices they face,'' Mr. Tartaglia said.

"The play provides real-life experiences, portrayed by the cast of inmates, on drug and alcohol abuse, bad choices, and the consequence of those choices.'' Executive director Dominique Smith said: "Shawn Crockwell and his cast have been working on this for several months and we believe "The Judgment'' is one of the most powerful and educational Bermudian drama productions our youth will experience.'' Crockwell, who studied drama at college, is currently serving a ten year jail term after stealing more that $700,000 worth of heroin and cannabis from a Supreme Court safe. The 75-minute play will be performed for an invitation-only audience at Westgate. But it will also be televised by the Bermuda Broadcasting Company and transmitted live via microwave to a closed-circuit audience at CedarBridge Academy's cafeteria.

Admission to the broadcast at CedarBridge is free and open to the public, although seating is limited to 300 people. Anyone interested in attending must register in advance with CADA on 295-5982. The doors at CedarBridge will open at 7 p.m. There will be no admittance at the door.

"We will consider releasing the play to the public, but no decisions have been made,'' said Ms Smith. "We are taking this one step at a time.'' Those prisoners who expressed an interest in the play, regardless of other factors, were invited to participate. "Prisoners view the play as a way of giving back to the community,'' said Community Programme Coordinator Gina Spence. CADA was founded in 1974 with the purpose of preventing alcohol, drug and other substance abuse through education, information exchange, and development of partnerships within the community.

The organisation has recently been revamped with the appointment of a full-time executive director and three support staff.