news for the public. There is frequent criticism in the community of the way the prisons work and, as nearly as we can tell, public opinion splits between those people who would "lock them up and throw the key away'' and those who believe, as we do, that there is an urgent need for rehabilitation of prisoners.

As we see it, prisoners who are simply incarcerated and go without help in prison only return to the public to reoffend. First of all that is a waste of human resources and, secondly, it is dangerous for the law abiding public and an expensive way to proceed, witness Rupert Elroy Archibald.

Archibald managed to conceal on his person the bristle end of a brush and to strike a Royal Gazette photographer very hard above the eye. Shortly before he had verbally abused the Chief Justice during his sentencing in the Supreme Court. Instead of a brush he might have had a more dangerous weapon and aimed it at the Chief Justice or the prosecution attorneys. This was a very serious incident especially since Archibald is well known to be a dangerous man.

As a result the incident is being investigated and the Minister of Public Safety, Maxwell Burgess, is talking with the representatives of prison officers. The prison officers themselves have concerns primarily because they face much more difficult and dangerous inmates than they were asked to supervise only a few years ago. Mr. Burgess has been quoted as saying: "We will be looking for solutions to the concerns that they have, because a well educated and motivated service will bode well for rehabilitation and assisting the inmates they are responsible for.'' These talks can only be beneficial.

In addition, the United Bermuda Party's "partnership plan'' announces mandatory drug testing in the prisons and legislation to increase punishment for those found to be supplying drugs to inmates. We think it will also be very important to put in place drug treatment programmes in the prisons especially since there have been persistent and believable reports that drugs are widely available inside our jails.

We know that people cannot be forced to accept treatment and in the past there have been indications that some inmates do not accept efforts toward their rehabilitation. Be that as it may, help would still be there and openly available. Incarceration itself does not mean rehabilitation and unless Bermuda works toward help for prisoners there will continue to be a high recidivism rate.

The Minister said after his meeting with officials of the Prison Officers' association: "We have a common resolve to work on the problems and concerns within the prison...'' As we see it, that is a very constructive step in the right direction.