rating.

His evaluation came nearly a year after some 140 inmates were transferred from the dilapidated Casemates to the Westgate Correctional Facility which is a stone's throw away.

And while Mr. Dyer admitted that all was not well at the new prison, he said Westgate and several new schemes introduced throughout the prison system were a great improvement compared to what the Prisons Service had.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Royal Gazette , Mr. Dyer said the Tumim report on Bermuda's criminal justice system had some impact on the type of crimes for which people were incarcerated.

But he said the Island's crime wave had not stopped.

Some 185 people were incarcerated at Westgate -- which has the capacity to hold 208, not including 12 segregation cells and five medical cells -- Mr.

Dyer said.

And the rate of recidivism remained about the same at 71 percent.

"It still appears that about half of the prison population are doing time for drug-related offences,'' he said.

However, with the new prison, inmates can for the first time be separated according to whether they were on remand or required minimum, medium, or maximum security.

Mr. Dyer said at the new prison an inmate could also be protected from other prisoners and staff, if necessary.

Upon entering the prison system, each inmate is subjected to a battery of tests on their educational, social, and psychological skills before he is assigned to a certain area.

Mr. Dyer said after the assessment prisoners are assigned to various areas of the prison, with those considered the least risk sent to the Prison Farm.

A treatment programme is also written up for each prisoner.

"To some extent the new assignment system is working well,'' Mr. Dyer said.

"But what we have found is that by implementing these new systems, it is really very time-consuming. So the workload has doubled.'' Due to the increased workload there was a serious need for more servicing personnel, Mr. Dyer said Changes have also been made in staff responsibilities.

"We used to have a principal officer in charge of shifts, working next to the chief officer,'' he explained.

Westgate gets a B-minus rating from Dyer "We've now taken the principal officer out and put a divisional officer which is the next level of senior division down. So the divisional officer is responsible for the watch, and the principal officer is doing some other duties connected with it.'' The changes were primarily the result of Westgate's layout, he added.

"We have three prisons running inside of one wall, so that immediately impacts on staff numbers and programmes.'' However, Mr. Dyer admitted that the new arrangement was not working as well as officials expected, and it therefore needed to be reviewed.

Prison officers, who last weekend held a sick out in protest of various issues at Westgate, have complained about under staffing and inconsistent and bad decision making by senior prison officials.

One officer, who wished to remain anonymous, also said prison officers were concerned about a reduction of educational programmes and activities during the summer.

But Mr. Dyer said the prison was operating such programmes no differently than the school system.

"During summer it is a pretty quiet programme time,'' he said, adding that the major programmes resumed this week.

Depending on inmates' security risk, he said they were offered a variety of courses, including reading, maths, computers, small engine repair, carpentry, and introduction to small business.

Recreational activities such as drama, art, and sculpture were also available to some.

Mr. Dyer said: "Westgate is designed that if you are interested, you can make a big jump on the deficiencies that you may have. So a lot comes down to the individual. You can assess until you are blue in the face and you can offer the best opportunity, but at the end of the day it is an individual choice.'' However he admitted: "You do get conflict, in summer when there is light. You find the sporting activities and what is on the television sometimes overrides what the person should be doing while they are in there.'' "But,' he said, "there has been an enormous increase in the persons that are interested. Particularly what we're finding some comfort in is that a number of persons are admitting that they cannot read and trying to do something about that.'' And Mr. Dyer said while the prison did not have an arrangement with the business community to guarantee jobs for released inmates who have received training in various areas, there has always been a core group of employers who have said "we will take them, if you can provide them''.

The Prison Farm has also reintroduced an "improved'' work programme with the West End Development Corporation and other unnamed employers.

Mr. Dyer said: "This gives prisoners the first opportunity to get back into the workforce.'' "The Prison Farm was instrumental in suggesting a phased work programme where persons come to Prison Farm, which has always been the case, and are assigned jobs there where they receive an allowance. Their first involvement in the community will be on voluntary basis. We regard this as first steps to restitution.

"At the next phase, the principal officer will arrange work with a place like Wedco for a minimum wage and a bank account is opened for the prisoner who does not directly receive the pay.'' Recognising that some inmates have commitments which may be court ordered, Mr.

Dyer said prisoners can authorise withdrawals from the accounts.

But he stressed that inmates' did not have carte blanche use of the bank accounts in prison.

He also noted that the cost of a bus pass or any transportation the prisoner required to get to a job site was deducted from the account.

And Mr. Dyer said the prisoners -- who carry a special pass -- were randomly checked on by prison officials during the day and randomly searched and tested for drugs when they return from work.

If there is a blatant breach of the rules, he stressed, the prisoner is sent to Westgate.

Despite a recent mini-riot at Westgate and some prison officers' complaints that they are at risk, Mr. Dyer said security at the new prison was working "very well''.

"But,'' he added, "whenever you have humans involved something is going to happen. Plus when you have sophisticated electronics, things do happen. But generally, the security at Westgate is very good. And the design of the prison is very open, so there are not too many things you can do at Westgate which will not be seen. This was not the case at Casemates.'' "But at Westgate,'' Mr. Dyer said, "just as a prison officer can see all prisoners within a triangular, prisoners can see the prison officer.

"I believe both the prisoners and staff are having some difficulty adjusting to this. I think it will be a while before we get adjusted. But we have no desire to change the design.'' However, Mr. Dyer said he will be seeking to address the problem of low staff morale at Westgate.

One way of doing this could be by resuming frequent meetings between himself and staff directly involved with the prison, he said.

"What we probably have is an accumulation of many things which have not been addressed or there is no appreciation that they have been acknowledged,'' Mr.

Dyer said.

"We've had some suggestions that since we have put women at Westgate, we have not assigned them to the same kind of responsibilities as men, yet they are receiving the same pay.

"That came to me from Human Rights, someone felt so strongly that they went to Human Rights about it. But they have not come to me.'' Mr. Dyer said he was considering a series of meetings, including meeting monthly with the facility administrator or chief officer and the assistant commissioners from all the prisons.

Presently a prison department committee, comprising of two assistant commissioners, the prison psychologist, and Mr. Dyer's administrative officer, meet every Monday.

But, Mr. Dyer said, this did not seem to be addressing "those issues that cause the problem''.