Drug Testing in Prisons

REASONS GIVEN IN DEFENCE OF TESTING The reasons most frequently given for instituting random drug testing programmes are based on the argument that it is a good tool for controlling drug problems because it offers inmates a valid excuse to avoid either drug use or participation in drug trafficking, and it assists in protecting inmates' access to programmes and transfers to lower security prisons. It is claimed that random urine testing will result in the following: • A decrease in drug use • A decrease in the violence related to drug use • A decrease in the violence associated with drug trafficking in institutions. The validity of these claims regarding random urinanalysis programmes will now be examined. DRUG TESTING METHODS AND INTERPRETATION OF TEST RESULTS* Drug properties Detection of a drug depends primarily on the absorption, distribution and elimination properties of the drug. The amount of drug stored depends on the quantity, duration of ingestion and