White Paper for Public Serving from Taiwan Shindian Drug Abuser Treatment Center

Introduction

In order to carry through our Government’s policy of strengthening the services to the public, to promote mutual understanding between the center and the public, to establish an unhindered communication channel, to keep up good judicial practice, and to legally protect inmates’ human rights so that the practice of serving the public is carried out to the basic level, this White Paper is thus announced.

What do we do for inmates?

◎Operations for new inmates：

After new inmates arrive in the center, we start the operations immediately：

(1)Health Checkup: To check if inmates have any wounds, tattoos or if they suffer from any diseases. The center will give them a preliminary check and then record the results.  For those that are healthy and have no particular problems, the center will take them in.  Those suffering from diseases will be arranged to see doctors according to their conditions.

(2)Safety Checkup: To check thoroughly the articles belonging to inmates in order to prevent drugs, weapons and other contrabands from carrying inside the center and affect inmates’ emotions.  When safety concerns are eliminated, all cashes, articles, Ids and clothes will be put under the center’s custody.

(3)The center will conduct an interview on inmates’ families for future counseling and ask them to leave contact person and numbers in case of emergency.

(4)For those arriving after meal hour, the center will still provide them meals.  After that, they will be given their personal clothing in the center.

(5)Ward Arrangement: Appropriate wards will be assigned to rehabilitation inmates or inmates depending on their terms of imprisonment.

◎Medical Treatment and clinics :

The first and foremost job of rectifying a commitment is recovering an inmate’s health so that he / she are free from the torture of diseases and drug addiction.  The center has arranged for various kinds of clinics.

(1)During weekends, holidays and evenings, in case of emergencies that inmates required to be sent to the hospitals by Guard and Control Section due to critical conditions of requiring an operation, kidney dialysis, hospitalization, and such inmates are all sent to Cardinal Tien Hospital for further diagnosis and treatment.

(2)All medicines provided within the center are free.  Inmates, whose conditions required to be sent to the hospital by Guard and Control Section, according to the legislation of Ministry of Justice, must cover the expenses for treatments and surgery during his stay in the hospital.

(3)The center is equipped with a pharmacy, a consulting room, a nursing room, trolleys, emergency cars, ambulances, and electrocardiography, ultrasonic and basic medical equipment which are sufficient for preliminary medical treatment.

(4)A pharmacist and a nurse are residing in the center, plus 6 doctors from different hospitals rotated to the center for outpatient services.

(5)Everyone must undergo chest X-ray checkup, AIDS and syphilis blood tests at least once a year in order to diagnose tuberculosis, AIDS and syphilis.  Once such cases are diagnosed, the center will arrange the inmates to see doctors and receive treatment.   At the same time, they will be recorded for follow-up checkup.  All inmates will get yearly Influenza inoculation according to the regulations.  Besides, the center plans to add psychiatry outpatient service and AIDS dentistry outpatient service in the near future to ensure inmates’ health.

(6)In cooperation with senior level’s reporting system, the center always pays attentions to the latest development of infectious diseases.  In order to prevent an outbreak within the center, the center will setup a response plan to detect respiratory infectious diseases, enteric infectious diseases and group infections so that appropriate response and treatment will be implemented.  Since the center is highly populated, it is necessary to clean and spray the entire facility with disinfectant and bleach.  Most of the inmate’s health will be improved after receiving normal work and rest, regular medical treatment, taking medicine regularly and good rest.

◎Hygiene Work

(1)Maintaining the environment and hygiene & sterilization: all personnel in and out of Guard and Control Area will be sampled for urine test and measured for body temperature.  According to the response plan, each and every detail must be planed carefully to prevent an epidemic outbreak. Important areas must be sterilized regularly.  Must carry out sanitation work thoroughly in kitchen once a week.  All hygienic habits within each ward must be based on highest standards so that and epidemic outbreaks will be prevented.

(2)During summer, the center always pays extra attentions to make sure water supply is sufficient.  All inmates may take a shower once everyday.  During winter, hot water will be supplied twice a week so that inmates’ hygienic habits are properly formed.  Inmates who do not have good habits will be taught to obey the livelihood management regulations.  Inmates who do not keep their wards clean will be asked to improve the sanitation of their wards.  Group living can not tolerate a few persons, things or articles becoming disease vectors.

◎Daily life caring :

During inmates’ stay, the center is responsible for providing them with daily life caringsuch as clothing, food and accommodations as well as educational actives, safety management and morals evaluations.

(1)Clothing: The center will provide inmates with short-sleeve shirts and short pants in summer and jackets, long trousers…in winter.  Inmates are allowed to bring their own clothes.

(2)Food: The monthly food budget per person is NTD 1,500.  Fee for each prisoner is NTD200.  For staple food, 450g milled rice per person in summer and 500 g milled rice in winter is supplied.  In addition, profits from inmates’ work will be contributed to food budgets. Surplus of employee’s cooperative will be contributed to the living cost expenses.  Moreover, the income of rice bran swill will be also contributed to improve meals of inmates.  Inmates have porridge, steamed buns, vegetables for breakfast and 3 dishes and 1 bowl of soup for lunch and supper every day. An  additional dish will be added every week which makes 4 dishes and 1 bowl of soup in total.  Dishes of three meals will be displayed in plain sight in the reception area every day.  Additional dishes will also be added at three biggest festivals (New Year’s Break, Dragon Boat Festival and Moon Festival) to cater for traditions.

(3) Accommodations: All wards are equipped with standard equipment such as bathroom, ventilation and lighting.  Inmates are asked to keep their ward clean, comfortable and hygienic.  Number of inmates for each ward is appropriately arranged to make sure it is not too crowded and accidents won’t happen because of it. The center holds a livelihood forums and food convention monthly with the participation of inmates so that they can speak up and give suggestions.  The center upholds the principle of “to demand discipline strictly while being generous on daily life caring “and to take care of inmates as much as possible.

◎Psychological guidance and educational activities：

Inmates are usually emotional when they just arrive in the center.  As always, the counselors of our center will use love and patience to calm the inmates and provide them with individual counseling.   Moreover, the center will lead the inmates to channel their emotions into all kinds of activities arranged for them so that their morals will be further improved and personalities will be reconstructed.

(1)Group counseling: Provided currently by the medical tem of Department of Health ( Bali Psychiatric center, Taoyuan Mental Hospital).  Team members include: psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, case mangers….  Together, they work with our counselors, social workers, psychologists to conduct counseling for all rehabilitation inmates while also carrying out personal counseling.  Furthermore, the center holds monthly recreational activities, speeches presented by After-Care Association and lectures & activities presented by Employment Service Center, Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training.  Moreover, the center works with social charity groups, After-Care Association from time to arrange for all kinds of recreational activities and education films will be played within the center irregularly.

(2)Religious education: The center arranges for different religious groups to conduct religious counseling every week.   Different religions including Christianity (Bread of Life Christian Church, Prison Fellowship, Chinese Baptist Convention, New Hope Christian Fellowship) , Catholicism ( Prison-service clubs, Garden of Mercy Foundation, Lourdes Association), Buddhism ( Fo Guan Shan Jin Guang Ming Temple, Voice of Maitreya, Tzu Chi Foundation) and other religious groups ( Falun Dafa Shindian branch, The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, Chung Hwa Martial Arts & Dance Research Club , New Hope Christian Fellowship) will be carried out religious counseling within the center.

(3)Outdoor activities are also arranged weekly.  Activities such as playing basketball, badminton, running are arranged to release inmates’ pressures and build up their strength.

(4)Our library has huge collection of books, donated by county libraries and city libraries in the northern part of Taiwan.  Inmates may borrow books from our library free of charge.

(5)A special “reunion meeting over the phone “and an expanded reception will be held on Chinese Luna New Year, Mother’s day and Moon Festival). In 2007, the center worked with Chunghwa Telecom to arrange “reunion meeting over the phone “three times (respectively on Chinese Luna New Year, Mother’s Day and Moon Festival) for all inmates to call home.

◎Operation and vocational training :

Currently, the center offers short-term vocational training classes of coffee-making, landscape, computer software design, vegetarian cousins and paper cutting.

◎Character assessment

The center will assess monthly inmates’ behaviors, conducts, and characters during their stay in the center.  The assessment will be the references for progressing or applying for ceasing rehabilitation.

◎Safety Management & Maintenance

To prevent illegal incidents such as fights, disturbance, suicides, bullies, majorities taking advantages of minorities, it is legal for staff of Guard and Control Section to carry out duties to safeguard, manage, and inspect the center and maintain the disciplines within the center.

What we do for inmates’ families?

◎Reception :

There are a total of 2288 applications from inmate’s families asking for reception in the fist half of 2007.  The center will inform the families of the inmates who are not allowed for reception to avoid any futile trips by the families.  Reception hours during national holidays or long breaks will be announced in advanced both in the reception room and on the official website.  Phone inquiries are available at 86666-6432, extent ion 2085.

Documents and posters of government orders from senior level will be displayed timely.  Reception regulations, inmates’ arraignment, going on trial, and leaving the center will all be announced from time to time.  Article inspection regulations will also be posted on the bulletin.  Please follow accordingly.

◎Grievance hotline :

In order to correct the current climate, the public is welcome to report corruption and illegality.  If you find any juridical scalpers defrauding, please call our reporting hotline at (02)86669817 or write to us at P.O.Box. 1-12, Sindian, Taipei County to uphold justice.

◎People’s opinion survey

If you find any public servants of bad attitudes, please fill in the opinion survey and put it in the administration innovative opinion box.  We will have someone specific to handle the issues justly.  Once it is been proved, after the investigation, that such public servant should be responsible, he / she will be ordered to act according to the regulations.  If it turned out to be caused by the misunderstandings of the civilians, the center will explain all civilians’ questions regarding the regulations thoroughly to avoid any further misunderstanding.

◎Applying for Certificate

All civilians can apply for certificates or collect their deposit at the administration office.  Our staff is always ready to serve if the civilians bring all necessary Ids with them.

◎Inquiring hotline

If an inmate’s family wishes to find out whether he / she is still in the center, they may call 22126011 to find out.  To find out if the said inmate is scheduled for arraigning, or has completely served his / her terms or is scheduled to be transferred to another prison, or to ask about the reception hours, please call 8666-8432, extent ion 2085.  Please always double check over the phone before coming to the center.

Future prospective：

        Since the center was established on January 1st, 2006, it has become a professional drug abuser treatment center.  However, drug rehabilitation is still something that has not yet been placed importance on in our society.  Moreover, the center was once Sindian prison under National Defense Department, the buildings were used for many years (from 1952 – 2005).  The renovation work has been ongoing since its reception from National Defense Department to meet the standards for drug rehabilitation. Whether it’s the improvement on software or hardware, the center is determined to carry out the ideals of “Professionalism, service and offering greater convince to the public“ and keep on improving so that government’s goals of offering greater convince to the public is therefore achieved.