Inmates trying to break vicious circle

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Alcoholism and the law are irreversibly linked together for many Native adult offenders.

Problems with one often lead to entanglements with the other until the circle of addiction and crime seem almost inescapable. But some inmates at the Grierson Centre, a minimum security prison in downtown Edmonton, are uncoiling this vicious circle with the help of a unique program.

The Family Life Improvement Program is designed to teach Native adult offenders about healthier lifestyle, including interpersonal skills, Native cultural awareness, family dynamics and freedom from intoxicants.

Grierson Centre director Carola Cunningham said the seven-week program is designed to give offenders practice in living without drugs and alcohol.

"What it does is ready these guys to go into an on-the-street (detoxification) program," she said. "A lot of guys out of jail have a difficult time going right from a maximum institution to a centre like the Poundmaker's because they don't function the same way."

The discussion in the fourth week of FLIP deal exclusively with substance abuse, examining facts on alcoholism, types of addictions and patterns of behavior including denial, admitting, recover and relapse.

But alcohol and drug abuse are discussed a lot during the whole seven weeks, said program trainer Vicky Whelan.

"Basically, the way that I made the program is really concentrating on emotions and communication because I feel that, a lot of times, it's our emotions that make you sick. Once you start dealing with them, then your whole life starts changing around.:"

The inmates also play a role in a way the centre handled drug and alcohol abuse. Peer counselling gives them more control with their own addictions by allowing them to counsel the inmates who slip up from time to time.

"If we have a guy who's messed up and maybe fallen off the wagon, if I've chosen to give him another opportunity, I'll bring in our peer counselling group, and they'll deal with him," said Cunningham who is in her third year as director.

"They will tell him how they feel about him drinking and how it affects them and what it does to this place when he comes back drunk and how many are trying to get past that."

The centre is located on the edge of the inner city, so the life of addiction is never far away.

"This building right next to us is one of the worst in the city, said Cunningham. "It's very low-incoming housing -- low, low. There's always fights and people drinking. In some ways, it's a good motivator because (the inmates) can see themselves. We do that as part of the program. If we feel someone is getting really edgy and might be ready to run because they want a drink or they want to do drugs, we'll take someone who's fairly strong and we'll say, 'Take him down the drag. Just take him in. Let him look in the bars. Let him look at those guys laying in their own vomit.' Remember it. It's very effective."

"The idea is it's holistic," said staff member Nancy Davis, a former case worker who is now helping to develop new programs for the centre. "We try to address the spiritual, psychological, emotional needs of the clients to bring in their spouse, or partner, or family. We're also willing to work with the families when the guys are released back into the community."

The program seems to be having a positive effect for some Native adult offenders. The percentage of repeat offenders who have gone through the Grierson program is low - Cunningham estimates it at about seven per cent.

"We know we're doing the right thing because elders are coming from all over to spend time here and talk to us and they tell us this is good, this is right, this is what should happen."

The Grierson Centre, which has a contract with the Solicitor General's office for 40 beds, was taken over by Native Counselling Services of Alberta in 1988. Native adult offenders are transferred there from prisons throughout Canada and Alberta. The centre also takes 10 federal inmates.