By Magnus Henagulph Government's planned Halfway House will be operated by a foreign health care company The Royal Gazette can reveal.

The facility, which will help inmates make the transition from prison back into society, will be operated by Pennsylvania based Liberty Healthcare Corporation.

Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety, Martin Law, said that Government had set a high priority on the development of a Halfway House to help reintegrate offenders back into society after a period of imprisonment. This aim was highlighted in the Throne Speech of 1999. At that time property on the former HMS Malabar was seen as a likely venue.

Mr. Law said: "The development of this site and the establishment of a suitable programme proved extremely problematic so in order to fulfil its commitment, Government decided on a creative solution.'' He added that the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Initiative was developed during 2000 and the task of providing a halfway house facility was taken under its umbrella.

A proposal to provide a programme to be up and running in relatively short order, using the existing facilities and run at a reasonable cost by an organisation with a proven track record, was developed and approved by Government.

Liberty Healthcare, a US company based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania was the company chosen to fill the role.

The company has over 20 years of service to public sector clients and is widely recognised in the US as an innovator in providing services to correctional facilities.

Liberty Healthcare currently provide services to 32 facilities in 15 states totalling 2000 secure beds.

It has developed and managed numerous secure residential and forensic programmes, many dealing with challenging populations such as those with substance abuse, mental health, violence and sex offender problems. Mr. Law said that Liberty Healthcare was a versatile company which responded to the total range of possible behaviours in inmate populations.

He said it was accepted that the provision of this kind of specialised expertise was not available within Bermuda at a proven level.

He added that Liberty Healthcare was able to meet a timely start up at reasonable cost. After Government carried out extensive checks on the company's credentials, it was decided that Liberty would be selected. A competitive tendering process was considered unnecessary.

Liberty Healthcare is a commercial company but the contract with H.M. Prisons is based on a marginal profit basis.

All of the centre's nine staff will be Bermudian with the organisational support, programmes, training and development provided by Liberty Healthcare.

The programme will be operated out of the `F' Building adjacent to Westgate Correctional facility, and although there will be a close relationship with Prisons, the Halfway House will not be run by the Prisons Department.

Interviews for positions in the new facility are ongoing but announcements for key positions in the new facility are imminent, and Liberty Healthcare are committed to training talented Bermudian staff.

Funds have been allocated under the ATI initiative to run the facility and projected costs are around $850,000 per year for the three year contract period. Mr. Law said: "The Ministry of Labour Home Affairs and Public Safety considers this to be an innovative approach that will be the first of several new programmes and initiatives to come out of the ATI and prison reform initiatives.'' Positions at the Halfway house were recently advertised, including the top post of Program Director as well as Job Developer. Positions of Case Managers, and Treatment Aides were also advertised.

The programme is expected to provide skills training, individual and group counselling for job preparation, substance abuse treatment, relapse prevention, and case management services to assist residents with securing stable employment and housing in order to return to the community.

Last month Minister for Labour, Home affairs and Public Safety, Paula Cox said Government was looking to spend more than $2.5 million on Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI), including the Halfway House which was expected to house up to 30 inmates. Focus Counselling group has also announced a Halfway house for males by 2002.